Prime Minister

Parliamentary Private Secretaries

Patrick Grady: To ask the Prime Minister, if she will publish a list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries.

Mrs Theresa May: Information on Parliamentary Private Secretaries has been published today.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what forms of medical evidence his Department accepts for personal independence payments claims from a person suffering from (a) myalgic encephalopathy and (b) other illnesses with variable symptoms that permit part-time work.

Penny Mordaunt: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a non-means-tested, non-taxable cash benefit that is paid regardless of the employment status of the claimant. It has been designed to take full account of fluctuating and variable conditions. The Department encourages claimants to provide as much relevant evidence as necessary to support their claim. The “How your disability affects you” form and accompanying guidance sets out the range of information that can help the Department reach a decision. The guidance for Health Professionals also sets out sources of further evidence which could help inform their advice to the Department (Section 2.3 Further Evidence); this includes family members, carers or anyone else who supports them. This guidance can be accessed on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547146/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues on the assessment of (a) rare conditions and (b) hereditary angioedema for personal independence payment claims.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to improve how people with rare medical conditions are assessed for personal independence payments.

Penny Mordaunt: The assessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is designed to treat people as individuals, considering the impact of their impairment or health condition on their everyday life and how each claimant has personally adapted to living with a disability. The assessment is carried out by registered health professionals who have specialist training in assessing the impact of disability and health conditions on an individual’s functional ability, including some rare conditions. Prior to carrying out an assessment they routinely refresh their knowledge of any condition with which they are not fully familiar. The PIP Assessment Guide for Health Professionals includes guidance on the assessment criteria and how they should be applied. This guidance can be accessed on the gov.uk website:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/449043/pip-assessment-guide.pdf Since its inception, all aspects of the PIP assessment process have been continually reviewed and refined in order to improve its efficiency, effectiveness and the experience of all claimants including those with rare conditions. As part of this continuous improvement process, Paul Gray CB is undertaking the second independent review of the PIP assessment. The review will look at all stages of the PIP process, with a particular focus on the use of further evidence in the claim process, data sharing and the claimant experience. The terms of reference were published in July and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/534681/terms-of-reference-pip-second-independent-review.pdf. The report will be laid before Parliament by April 2017.

Personal Independence Payment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with groups representing people with rare conditions on the criteria used in personal independence payment assessments.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent representations he has received on improving how people with rare medical conditions are assessed for personal independence payments; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: We are committed to ensuring that the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment process works effectively across the spectrum of disabilities and health conditions, including rare conditions. I, along with my officials, meet regularly with disability representative groups, including members of our Implementation Stakeholder Forum which hears views from a wide range of organisations representing and supporting disabled people, including those with rare conditions. We have worked extensively with them to make improvements to guidance, training and audit procedures in order to ensure a quality service for all claimants including those with rare conditions.

Access to Work Programme

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Access to Work scheme and (b) its administration.

Penny Mordaunt: Access to Work continues to support over 36,000 people per year take up or retain employment. Last year the scheme helped people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities and young people in larger numbers than ever before. On 2 September 2016 we launched the Access to Work Digital Service in response to customer feedback requesting a more convenient, accessible and quicker process. This transformation will also enable staff to administer the scheme more efficiently as we look to increase the number of disabled people who could be helped into or remain in work as part of the Government’s ambition to halve the disability employment gap. The Spending Review announcement confirmed we’re increasing the capacity of Access to Work through a real term increase in spending starting in 16/17. Funding will reflect the numbers of applicants and their needs, and recognises expected increases in demand of around 25,000 extra customers by the end of the Parliament. To support this we have been working with jobcentres, businesses and local organisations to promote the Access to Work Scheme. We have also promoted Access to Work as part of the Disability Confident Campaign and are currently looking at further marketing and promotion of the Access to Work programme.

Children: Separated People

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is provision to ensure that both parents in a separated couple receive financial assistance for their children when joint custody has been approved.

Damian Hinds: Where a separated couple have joint custody for their children, only one of them will receive financial assistance for those children through Universal Credit. The separated couple may jointly nominate which of them that will be. The parent who receives financial support is the one whom the child normally lives with, but if the child normally lives with both, then it is the parent who has main responsibility for the child. This is to be decided by the parents, or failing that, the Secretary of State if the parents cannot agree or if the Secretary of State does not think that the nomination accurately reflects the arrangement. HM Revenue & Customs administer Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit and the rules similarly require that payment is directed towards the person who is mainly responsible for the child, so that at any one time, only one person can be entitled to receive payments in respect of a particular child.

Department for Work and Pensions: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and a wide range of other interested parties.

Employment: Disability

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the adequacy of the level of protection against discrimination in employment, training and career development for people with disabilities.

Penny Mordaunt: Equality legislation for Disabled People is devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.In Great Britain, the Equality Act 2010 defines disability as “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-today activities”. Where an employee/applicant or service-user has a condition that fits the definition of a disability, they are protected under the 2010 Act. Employers and service-providers are therefore required to make reasonable adjustments available in order to ensure that disabled people are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to those who do not have a disability. It is for the courts to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether there has been disability discrimination where a reasonable adjustment has not been made available. For those who need additional support over and above that which is a reasonable adjustment, Access to Work can help. Access to Work provides practical and financial support with the additional costs faced by individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job. Access to Work continues to support over 36,000 people per year take up or retain employment. Disability Confident, on which this Department leads, was launched by the then Prime Minister in July 2013 to challenge perceptions, engage employers and promote good practice. Disability Confident is about creating a movement for change - getting employers to think differently about disability and to take action to improve how they attract, recruit and retain disabled workers.

Disability

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the life chances of people with disabilities.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government is committed to improving the life chances of disabled people and has made a commitment to halve the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people.The Government is working with employers through Disability Confident to challenge attitudes towards disability and ensure that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. Since 2013 the number of disabled people in work has increased by almost half a million (493,000). Nearly 3.4 million disabled people are now in employment.Access to Work provides practical and financial support with the additional costs faced by individuals whose heath or disability affects the way they do their job. 36,470 individuals were helped by Access to Work in the 2015/16 including record numbers of people with learning disabilities, mental health conditions and young people. Last year’s Spending review announced a real-terms increase in funding for access to work starting in 16/17 to enable the scheme to help a further 25,000 people by the end of the parliament.Work Choice is a voluntary contracted specialist disability employment programme introduced in 2010 and helps people with disabilities whose needs cannot be met through other employment programmes, Access to Work or workplace adjustments. It provides individually tailored support (e.g. job search skills, basic training, and work placements) for disabled people who face the most complex employment barriers to find and stay in work.Later this year, we will produce a Green Paper exploring a range of options to close the disability employment gap and transform the lives and prospects of disabled people, and conduct a consultation which will reach out to disabled people and their representative organisations.

Pension Funds

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to improve the affordability of existing pension schemes for companies.

Richard Harrington: The Government is aware of the fact that some parts of the Defined Benefit (DB) pension sector are concerned about the current economic climate, but the situation is very mixed, and the experiences of schemes differ. We do not believe there is a systemic problem but we continually look at ways to improve the affordability of schemes.

Universal Credit

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of working parents and carers receiving universal credit who will be required to work increased hours under in-work conditionality that (a) are unable to work full-time hours and (b) will require flexible working arrangements.

Damian Hinds: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Mining: Accidents

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many accidents have occurred in mines in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) operational data is derived from reports made under duties contained in the Reporting of Injuries and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) (and earlier versions). It is as follows: YearNo. of reported injuries in underground mines in Great Britain* **1 April 2011 – 31 March 20122041 April 2012 – 31 March 20131461 April 2013 – 31 March 20141141 April 2014 – 31 March 2015751 April 2015 – 31 March 2016521 April 2016 – 31 August 201621 * A key change to RIDDOR occurred in April 2012, ie the threshold for reporting of those injuries to workers which result in the person being incapacitated for more than three days changed to over seven days. ** It should be noted that the reducing trend is, in part, due to the reduction in the number of large working mines in recent years.

Mining: Redcar

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on the recent fatalities at the Boulby Potash mine; and whether his Department has made an assessment of the need to take any such action in respect of those fatalities.

Penny Mordaunt: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has received one representation on recent incidents, from the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. HSE has carried out a variety of interventions with the operators of Boulby mine, ranging from the serving of Prohibition Notices to a detailed assessment of their safety and competency management systems. HSE is reviewing the circumstances of a number of recent incidents with a view to taking further enforcement action if appropriate.

Personal Independence Payment

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure mandatory assessment of sources of additional evidence supplied by claimants of personal independence payments.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department always considers a range of evidence from a variety of sources when making a decision on an individual’s PIP claim and is robust in asking for further information if it feels this will be beneficial for the claimant. In addition, the department will always consider any additional evidence provided at the Mandatory Reconsideration or appeal stage.

Personal Independence Payment: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for personal independence payments included requests to consider additional evidence in (a) Glasgow Central constituency, (b) Glasgow and (c) Scotland since April 2013.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department does not hold this information.

Department for Work and Pensions: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of all secondees to his Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to train Jobcentre Plus advisors to support working parents and carers in in-work progression under universal credit.

Damian Hinds: We have made a significant commitment to supporting people through the welfare system to seek to increase their earnings in work. We are testing a range of approaches.This includes ongoing trials on how in-work progression can be supported by work coaches. This will help us further develop the work coach role to support in-work claimants, including working parents and Carers.We have also put in place a substantial programme of learning and ongoing support for work coaches. All coaches receive face-to-face classroom learning which focuses on both the technical delivery steps and importantly the transformational change of delivering in-work progression, as well as consolidation post-completion.Many of the skills that work coaches develop and utilise when working with out-of-work claimants are equally applicable to in-work claimants, and they will bring these skills to bear in addition to the extra learning.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit: Dupuytren's Contracture

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 35941 and with reference to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21220, on industrial injuries disablement benefit: Durpuytren's contracture, for what reasons a decision has not yet been made on whether to add that condition to the list of industrial injuries disablement benefit diseases.

Penny Mordaunt: A decision on whether to add Dupuytren’s contracture to the list of prescribed diseases can only be made after the potential impacts and other considerations have been fully evaluated. We will announce our response to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council’s recommendation in due course.

Universal Credit

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate how many parents and carers in receipt of universal credit will require childcare after transition to in-work conditionality.

Damian Hinds: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was for calls to his Department's public telephone lines, by social security benefit, in each of the last two years.

Caroline Nokes: The table below shows the average speed of answer for telephone calls to DWP, by benefit, for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. Average Speed of AnswerBenefit2014/20152015/2016ESA New Claims00:03:4200:02:58ESA Enquiries00:03:4100:04:04IS New Claims00:02:1300:02:27IS Enquiries00:01:4900:03:45JSA New Claims00:02:3000:02:49JSA Enquiries00:02:1900:03:56Social Fund Enquiries00:01:5400:02:50IB Enquiries00:00:3500:00:52PIP New Claims00:01:0100:01:41PIP Enquiries00:00:5900:01:10Maternity Allowance Enquiries00:00:5700:01:07Universal Credit00:01:3200:01:58Benefit Cap Line00:01:0100:00:55Access to Work00:01:3800:00:55Bereavement Line00:00:4700:00:44Pension Credit New Claims00:00:5600:01:12Pension Credit Enquiries00:01:0100:01:09State Pension New Claims00:00:5600:01:01State Pension Enquiries00:01:0200:01:16Winter Fuel Payments00:01:0900:01:10DLA00:01:3800:01:43Carer's Allowance00:01:1300:01:54Attendance Allowance00:00:5300:00:44  The source of the management information provided is the Operational Management Information System (OPMIS). Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.

Employment: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of how long it takes British citizens to find work after returning from a long period living overseas.

Damian Hinds: No such assessment has been made by DWP.

Employment: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support in finding work is available to British citizens returning to the UK after a long period overseas.

Damian Hinds: Eligibility for support in finding work is determined by eligibility for benefits and then need, rather than length of time abroad.

Mental Illness

Mr Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that people affected by severe mental illness are able to live as independently as possible.

Penny Mordaunt: In January 2016 the Government announced almost £1 billion of additional investment for mental health which included over £400 million to enable round-the-clock treatment in communities as a safe and effective alternative to hospital.The Work and Health Unit is testing a range of interventions to support people with mental illness to obtain and stay in work.NHS England is also working to ensure that by 2020/21 all areas are providing crisis resolution and home treatment teams that are resourced to operate in line with recognised best practice – delivering a round-the-clock, community-based crisis response and intensive home treatment as an alternative to acute inpatient admissions.

Employment: Human Rights

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the concluding observations and recommendations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the UK's sixth periodic report in relation to social security and unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: In paragraph 73 of the UN recommendations, the UN requested that the UK submits its next period report under the Covenant (inclusive of a response to all the recommendations from this year’s examination) by 30 June 2021; it would therefore not be appropriate for me to pre-empt this report by anticipating what we might say in 2021. In any event, the Government regularly assesses the impacts of its policies and will continue to do so.

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many officials of his Department of each grade banding have undergone more than 12 hours of training on universal credit; and how many such officials of each grade banding he forecasts will have undertaken such training on completion of the full rollout of universal credit to all eligible claimants.

Damian Hinds: The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) policy is to develop its staff in the skills and knowledge required to support a range of customers and deliver their services. Universal Credit continues to be rolled out throughout the country and staff continue to be upskilled to support the implementation. I can confirm that to date the breakdown for DWP officials undergoing more than 12 hours of training on Universal Credit is as follows:B/AO 5316C/EO 6221D/HEO 630We are planning that all DWP staff who will be working with Universal Credit by the time of full roll out will have completed the required training. We plan on a flexible basis to meet customer demand and therefore forecasts vary.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has for the future role of employees and contractors of his Department who are working on the compilation and administration of data related to the provision of free television licences to people over 75 years of age.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many officials of his Department are assigned to the provision and collation of data relating to the free television license scheme for people over 75.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the costs of providing data to the BBC for the purposes of that body assessing eligibility for free television licences for people over 75 years of age.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the Exchequer was of providing free television licences to people over 75 years of age in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 for qualifying residents in (i) Glasgow South West constituency, (ii) Glasgow City local authority area and (iii) Scotland.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the savings to the Exchequer resulting from the future transfer of responsibility for funding television licences for people over 75 from his Department to the BBC for (a) Glasgow South West constituency, (b) Glasgow City Council and (c) Scotland.

Richard Harrington: The summer budget 2015 announced a number of fundamental changes relating to the BBC and free TV licences for those aged 75 and over. DWP will cease to fund free TV licences from 2019/20 and the BBC will absorb the cost of this and take responsibility for the policy which currently sits with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. It is estimated that the provision of free TV licences for 2016/17 will cost £629m and DWP will continue to make a transfer to the BBC during the phasing period, as set out in the table below.  2018/192019/202020/21HMG transfer for free TV licences (£m)4682470 DWP resources currently assigned to the provision and collation of data relating to the free television licence scheme for people aged 75 and over is 12 staff days per annum. Any plans for the future role of employees and contractors will be determined following detailed discussions between my Department and the BBC nearer the time the BBC take full responsibility for funding and policy.In 2014/15 the cost of providing free TV licences to those 75 and over in Scotland was £49m and it is estimated the cost for qualifying residents in Glasgow South West constituency and Glasgow City local authority area was £0.7m and £4m respectively.The cost of the free TV licences to those aged 75 and over in Scotland for 2015/16 will be published on 21 September on the DWP website. Breakdowns by Local Authority and Parliamentary Constituency use that Scotland expenditure estimate and are therefore not currently available.Savings to the Exchequer resulting from the future transfer of responsibility for funding television licences for people aged 75 or over were set out in the summer budget 2015.

Work Capability Assessment

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on claimants of no longer being eligible to receive employment and support allowance payments at the assessment rate when undergoing a mandatory reconsideration of a work capability assessment.

Penny Mordaunt: ESA claimants who are found fit for work and are waiting for their mandatory reconsideration application to be decided, are eligible to claim JSA. This is the right benefit for those who are capable of work, with Jobcentre work coaches fully supporting these claimants during this period - and the statistics released on 8 September show that this period is now a relatively short one – the median average being around 9 days.

Personal Independence Payment

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payments have resulted in a revised decision as a result of further evidence in each of the last three years.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not available.

Attendance Allowance

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the introduction of personal independence payments on future rates of claims for attendance allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: Individuals in receipt of PIP before the age of 65 will continue to receive PIP as long as they continue to meet the eligibility criteria. This mirrors Disability Living Allowance, the benefit that preceded PIP. Anyone that becomes disabled after the age of 65 will be able to claim Attendance Allowance.

Social Security Benefits

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the decline in Short Term Benefit Advance applications in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK between February 2015 and March 2016.

Damian Hinds: Short Term Benefit Advances (STBAs) are payments on account of benefit. The majority of STBAs are awarded to people in the period before their benefit is first due to be paid, but STBAs can also be paid where a change of circumstances significantly increases the amount of benefit due. STBAs are predominately paid to people claiming Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance. They are not available to people claiming Universal Credit.Between April 2015 and March 2016, there were 218,592 STBA applications in Great Britain as a whole, with monthly variations ranging from 17,188 in September 2015 to 21,529 in February 2016, but with no downward trend at the year end. In Scotland, there were 26,322 applications over the same period, with monthly variations ranging from 1,462 in November 2015 to 3,022 in April 2015, with a clear downward trend at the year end.As the roll-out of Universal Credit to all new claimants progresses, we anticipate a corresponding decline in the number of STBA applications.The Department for Work and Pensions continues to advertise the availability of STBAs through the gov.uk website, with information posters and leaflets in Jobcentres nationwide.

Social Security Benefits

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on claimants of having no timescale within which his Department must return a mandatory reconsideration decision to the claimant.

Penny Mordaunt: There has been no statutory requirement to make a benefit decision within a specified time since 1998. This applies equally to a claim for benefit, an application for review and, since it was introduced in April 2013, an application for Mandatory Reconsideration. Decisions are made without delay – whilst giving claimants every opportunity to provide new and additional evidence to support their application.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average and median waiting time is for users calling the universal credit helpline; and how many calls to that helpline were answered in (a) less than five, (b) between five and 10, (c) between 10 and 15, (d) between 15 and 20 and (e) more than thirty minutes between 1 January and 30 June 2016.

Damian Hinds: The data below states the Average Speed of Answer for all UC calls for the period 1 January 2016 – 30 June 2016. Universal Credit Average Speed of AnswerAverage Speed of Answer January 201600:02:09 February 201600:02:03 March 201600:02:01 April 201600:02:44 May 201600:02:24 June 201600:02:41 Total00:02:22   Data source: Operational Management Information System (OPMIS)It would be a disproportionate cost to compute the median in each month, and the breakdown by waiting time intervals.

Universal Credit: ICT

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value is of the contract between his Department and SCC for providing server support for the universal credit portal.

Damian Hinds: This information can be found on the Contract Finder website - please see the below link. https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Universal Credit: ICT

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans are in place to ensure that a server issue with the universal credit portal does not reoccur.

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will prepare an impact assessment of any future server outage on the universal credit portal.

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who were affected by the recent server issue affecting the universal credit portal; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: Whenever a service problem is identified the Department always prioritises claimants first ensuring their payments are not interrupted. In this instance the outage impacted only 24 of the 712 Jobcentres across Great Britain and none of the claimants impacted experienced a delay in their payments.The performance of all systems is continuously monitored on many resilient servers and in the event of an outage an immediate impact assessment is made and appropriate action taken to ensure normal service is resumed at the earliest possible opportunity and the impact on claimants is minimised.We continually assess the performance of our suppliers, and underlying engineering, to ensure systems are available to meet the needs of claimants and the Department. With the exception of this isolated supplier outage the performance of the UC portal has been higher than expected, however, further improvements to resilience were already under active consideration as part of preparing for UC Full Service national expansion.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the recommendations made by the UK Statistics Agency in August 2015, what plans his Department has to extend the range of benefit sanction data available by addressing gaps in information on repeat sanctions and hardship payments alongside the development of sanction data from the universal credit system.

Damian Hinds: The sanctions publication strategy which details the approach being taken by DWP statisticians to improve the sanctions statistics being developed, which include the addition of Universal Credit sanction statistics, can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-sanction-statistics-publication-strategy The latest release of sanction statistics within the Quarterly Statistical Summary: August 2016 includes an experimental monthly rate of claimants sanctioned and can be found (on page12) at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dwp-statistical-summaries-2016 The related background information to support this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monthly-rate-of-claimants-sanctioned-background-information-and-methodology Management Information data on the number of applications and awards for hardship payments were published on 18th November 2015 and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/jsa-and-esa-hardship-applications-and-awards-apr-2012-to-jun-2015 We will consider the regularity of future publications of hardship statistics alongside our routine prioritisation of our statistical work programme.

Universal Credit

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on claimants of the (a) seven waiting days at the beginning of a universal credit claim and (b) six week period a claimant must wait before receiving their initial payment.

Damian Hinds: Many claimants come to Universal Credit with final earnings to support them until their first payment, and they often find work quickly.The Universal Credit assessment period and payment structure is a fundamental part of the design; it mirrors the world of work, where 75% of people are paid monthly.As with other working age benefits, Universal Credit is not designed to provide cover for brief spells of unemployment or sickness, and seven waiting days are served in Universal Credit as they are in Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.We have a number of safeguards in place to help claimants' transition to Universal Credit, including Advances and Budgeting Support.

State Retirement Pensions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy on state pension age increases of the Pensions Policy Institute briefing note, published on 27 July 2016, on the effect of rises in state pension age on vulnerable people; and if he will make it his policy to allow early access to a full or reduced state pension for people who have 45 years of national insurance contributions.

Richard Harrington: The Government will consider the evidence on future approaches to State Pension age in the course of the first review of the State Pension age, conducted under Section 27 of the 2014 Pensions Act, which will report by 7 May 2017.

Social Security Benefits

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance hardship payments were (a) made and (b) applied for and declined in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK, before review or appeal, between 1 July and 31 December 2015.

Damian Hinds: Information on the applications and awards for hardship are provided below. The figures cover Great Britain; information regarding Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. It is not possible to provide figures for the number of applications declined before review or appeal. JSA and ESA hardship awards between 1 July and 31 December 2015BenefitGreat BritainScotlandJSA60,1005,900ESA1,500200JSA and ESA hardship applications between 1 July and 31 December 2015BenefitGreat BritainScotlandJSA67,6006,400ESA1,700200 (1) The tables show the total number of JSA and ESA hardship applications received and the number of awards made in the period from 1 July 2015 to 31 December 2015. These figures show applications and awards rather than the number of individuals; individuals may have made more than one application and received more than one award. (2) The numbers are collated from aggregate DWP MISP Management Information. This data is a combination of system and clerically sourced Management Information. As such it may contain duplicates and other inaccuracies. It does not form part of the official statistics outputs that are released by the Department in accordance with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice, and is subject to potential future revision. (3) The difference between applications and awards will include those not progressed for a number of reasons, for instance applications that are refused or withdrawn. (4) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

Personal Independence Payment: Cystic Fibrosis

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) adults and (b) children with cystic fibrosis who have previously claimed disability living allowance have received no award when assessed under the new personal independence payment.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department intends to provide detailed breakdowns of DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes in due course. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.

Personal Independence Payment

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to include proposals relating to personal independence payments in his Department's Green Paper on the disability employment gap.

Penny Mordaunt: Later this year, we will produce a Green Paper and conduct a consultation on a wide range of issues.

British Nationals Abroad: Pensions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in which countries UK citizens are not able to transfer pension rights accrued in that country upon return to the UK.

Richard Harrington: We do not keep information on other nations’ transfer policies. State pension rights accrued elsewhere cannot be transferred to the UK. There is no bar to private pension savings accrued elsewhere being transferred to the UK.

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what materials are available to his Department's staff for the purposes of training on universal credit.

Damian Hinds: DWP staff have access to a comprehensive Universal Credit learning framework that is designed to build their core skills and knowledge to enable them to effectively undertake their role covering all national roll-out tranches of Universal Credit.This includes:knowledge and skills modules ensuring each member of staff can support and coach individual customer’s needs, including those with complex circumstances / health and well beingsystem practice that mirrors the full rollout of the Universal Credit systemperiod of consolidation and on the job coaching to ensure the member of staff is fully competentEach individual member of staff, dependant on their job role, individual experience and previous formal learning, will complete a Learning Needs Analysis that will determine the length of the Universal Credit learning, consolidation requirements and the learning they will undertake.

Personal Independence Payment: Cystic Fibrosis

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with cystic fibrosis in receipt of disability living allowance have been invited to claim personal independence payments (PIP); and how many such people have been awarded PIP for (a) 16 to 18 year olds and (b) people over 18.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department intends to provide detailed breakdowns of DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes in due course. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.

Employment Schemes: Scotland

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people in the workfare programme in (i) Fife and (ii) Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency moved into full-time employment in each of the last five years.

Damian Hinds: The Department does not operate a “workfare programme” therefore does not hold the information requested. The Department does publish some information on the Work Programme, however the information requested for those who moved into full-time employment whilst on the Work Programme is not available. Information is available for the number of Work Programme Referrals, Attachments and Job Outcomes (achieved when an individual has been in employment for 3 or 6 months, depending on their payment group), by various geographies and this can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance for users can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started---SuperWEB2.html

Disability

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to increase awareness of the Disability Confident campaign; and how his Department plans to measure the effectiveness of that campaign.

Penny Mordaunt: We have developed a new Disability Confident employer accreditation scheme. This went live in July.This will be core to our engagement with employers to raise awareness, improve performance and drive up engagement on the disability employment agenda.We are developing plans to formally launch the scheme in the Autumn and more information on take up and effectiveness measures will be available from then.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the introduction of transitional arrangements to assist women born on or after 6 April 1951 who have been adversely affected by changes to the state pension age.

Richard Harrington: At the time of the Pensions Act 2011 the government introduced a concession worth £1.1 billion to limit the impact of the rising state pension age on those most affected. The concession capped the maximum delay that anyone would face in claiming their State Pension to 18 months rather than two years, relative to the previous timetable. The Government has no plans to introduce further transitional arrangements.

Personal Independence Payment

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken is for a decision to be made for a personal independence payment claim in (a) Airdrie and Shotts constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) England.

Penny Mordaunt: The table below shows the average (median) actual clearance times (AACT), in weeks, for normal rules new claims and DLA reassessments to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for Airdie and Shotts, Scotland and England in April 2016. April 2016Normal Rules, New Claims AACT (weeks)Normal Rules, DLA Reassessments AACT (weeks)Airdie and Shotts parliamentary constituency1113Scotland1013England912Source – PIP Computer Systems management information. Notes to table:1) The figures are for normal rules only, and do not include special rules for the terminally ill, as these claims have a separate and faster route through the claims process.2) ‘Time take for a decision’ has been interpreted as the average time between the date of referral to the assessment provider and the date of the DWP decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria or failure to return the Part 2 form within the time limit).3) Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks. Further information on AACTs is published and available at;https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics

Access to Work Programme: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Scotland received support from Access to Work grants (a) in total and (b) for a mental health condition in each of the last three years.

Penny Mordaunt: The requested data is as follows: Financial yearNumber of people helped by Access to Work in ScotlandNumber of people helped by Access to Work in Scotland with a primary medical condition recorded as “Mental health condition2013/142,840802014/152,860902015/162,790110 Note:The Department does not routinely publish regional breakdowns of Access to Work data. These data were obtained from the Disability Service Client database and are rounded to the nearest 10.

Social Security Benefits

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to monitor the effect of the change from disability living allowance to personal independence payments on the standard of living of the recipients of those payments.

Penny Mordaunt: Both Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are designed to contribute towards the extra cost of having a disability. PIP is a modern benefit that maintains the key principles of DLA; it is a non-means-tested, non-taxable cash benefit available to people in and out of work. In addition, it takes proper account of mental health conditions and targets resources on those who need support. Most people will continue to receive support under PIP and, in fact, a greater proportion of claimants are receiving the highest rates of the benefit than in DLA – 23 per cent compared to 15 per cent on DLA.

Social Security Benefits

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides on the minimum number of days between benefit payments for a person ending an employment and support allowance claim and beginning a jobseeker's allowance claim; and what the average time between such benefit payments was in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: The department does not specifically hold data in relation to claimants who transition from ESA to JSA and the time taken to award JSA following the closure of an ESA claim. As a department we strive to process all new claims made to JSA as quickly and efficiently as possible with a minimum expected level of 90% processed within 10 days. We are currently achieving 90.7% as of July 2016.

Supported Housing: West Midlands

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many supported housing providers in (a) Birmingham, Erdington constituency and (b) the West Midlands will be affected by the local housing allowance cap on supported housing.

Caroline Nokes: The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Government expects to make an announcement on the way forward for supported housing in early autumn.Full impact and equality impact assessments will be undertaken in due course.

Social Security Benefits

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the reviews carried out by his Department on the deaths of social security claimants since 2014.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children's Rights

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what response he plans to make to the serious concerns raised by the recent UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its concluding observations to its Fifth Period Report.

Damian Hinds: In section V. paragraph B92 of the UN concluding observations, the UN Committee has invited the UK to submit its combined sixth and seventh periodic reports (including a response to the observations from this year’s examination) by 14 January 2022; it would therefore not be appropriate for me to pre-empt this report by anticipating what we might say in 2022. In any event, the Government regularly assesses the impacts of its policies and will continue to do so.

Independent Living Fund

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the closure of the independent living fund on people who received payments from that fund prior to its closure.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government has fully funded local authorities to meet their additional obligations to service users previously in receipt of the Independent Living Fund for the remainder of this Parliament. When the Department closed the Independent Living Fund, a commitment was made to conduct research into the impact of the closure. This will be based on interviews with former users and with Local Authorities. The research is on-going and will be published in due course.

Pensioners: Poverty

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department is providing to pensioners who depend on charities and families to pay household bills.

Richard Harrington: This Government is committed to providing a secure and dignified retirement for those pensioners who would otherwise find themselves without an adequate income.Pension Credit is an income-related benefit paid out of general taxation which targets help at the poorest pensioners. Pension Credit tops up a person’s other income to a standard minimum amount – currently £155.60 for a single person and £237.55 for a couple. Higher amounts may be available for those with a severe disability, caring responsibilities or certain housing costs. The amount of Pension Credit a person receives depends on how much money they have coming in each week and how much they have saved or invested; regular payments from a charity or relative will generally not count towards this calculation.People in receipt of Pension Credit may also qualify for other benefits (each with their own conditions of entitlement) such as Cold Weather Payments, Funeral Payments from the Social Fund and the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Other benefits such as Housing Benefit and help from the Local Council Tax Reduction scheme are available to Pension Credit recipients and to others who may qualify on the grounds of low income.Pension Credit recipients are also exempt from certain health charges. Other benefits including Winter Fuel Payments, free prescriptions and concessionary travel are available on the grounds of age.

Carers' Benefits: Living Wage

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the living wage on the earnings threshold for carers allowance; and if he will bring forward proposals to raise the existing threshold.

Penny Mordaunt: The primary purpose of Carer's Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. It is not, and was never intended to be, a carer’s wage or a payment for the services of caring, nor is it intended to replace lost or forgone earnings in their entirety. The earnings limit for Carer's Allowance is a net figure which is the figure left once income tax, National Insurance contributions and half of any contributions to an occupational or personal pension are deducted from earnings. There are also a number of other deductions which can be made that mean that people can earn significantly more than £110 per week and still be eligible for Carer's Allowance. Whilst the Government does not link the earnings limit to any other particular factor (including the National Living Wage), we do keep it under regular review and increase it when it is warranted and affordable, and this will continue to be our approach. Most recently in April 2015 the earnings limit was increased by 8% to £110, far outstripping the general increase in earnings.

Housing Benefit: Refuges

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to exempt domestic violence refuges from proposals to cap housing benefit.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable for publication is of the Freud Review into housing benefit changes and their impact on supported accommodation.

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Government plans to announce the outcome of its review into future funding for supported housing; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Government expects to make an announcement on the way forward for supported housing in early autumn.

Disability Living Allowance: Refugees

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department plans to issue to its staff on the application of residency tests to refugees applying for disability living allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: Refugees and people in Great Britain with humanitarian protection status who are disabled and in need of financial support are entitled to claim Disability Living Allowance, providing they meet all the necessary conditions of entitlement set out in regulations.

Department for Work and Pensions: EU Nationals

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many citizens of other EU countries work in his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Caroline Nokes: Information on EU citizenship is not held by the Department for Work and Pensions, its agencies or its non-departmental public bodies.

Department for Work and Pensions: Data Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on informing benefit claimants of breaches of security in his Department which may compromise their data.

Caroline Nokes: DWP takes its responsibilities to protect the privacy of customers and their data very seriously. This is reflected in its published Personal Information Charter. In the event of a security or information breach, the DWP would always ensure that it fulfils its obligations under the Data Protection Act and from the Information Commissioner’s Office to notify any affected persons as soon as it is possible to identify them.

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 1 August 2016 to the Benefits Director on pension credit related to a constituency case.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Work and Pensions apologises for the delay in responding. We have been investigating the issues raised by your constituent and a response has sent to the hon. Member for Walsall North, Mr David Winnick, today.

Refuges: Local Housing Allowance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received from women's refuges on the local housing allowance cap; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: Ministers in DWP and DCLG have met and continue to meet with stakeholders representing local authorities, supported accommodation, refuges, commissioners, and all categories of supported housing providers, be they charities, housing associations, voluntary organisations or from the commercial sector. The Secretary of State has confirmed that the Government expects to make an announcement on the way forward for supported housing in early autumn.

Home Office

Undocumented Migrants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many clandestine entrants of each nationality were identified within the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 13 June 2016



The Home Office is improving its data collection in this area and will publish information in this area once that work is completed.

Schengen Agreement

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether those parts of the Schengen Agreement which currently apply to the UK will continue to apply after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The future arrangements between the UK and the EU will be decided as part of the negotiations around our exit. Officials are exploring options for future cooperation arrangements, and we will do what is necessary to keep people safe. It would, however, be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance of the negotiations.

Terrorism

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on anti-terrorism measures in the UK of a period of uncertainty as to the extent to which the Schengen Agreement will apply to the UK after it leaves the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Cooperation with our European partners on counter-terrorism has not ceased since the result of the referendum was announced and we continue to work with other Member States, including continuing to participate in those parts of the Schengen Agreement that relate to law enforcement cooperation. Our key partners have confirmed their commitment to continue to work closely in an area where the UK has played a key role in advancing European capability. We are considering the full range of options to ensure effective counter-terrorism cooperation continues after the UK leaves the EU.

Entry Clearances

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to prevent people using a false identity being granted entry clearance to the UK.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times her Department has been made aware of people from Pakistan using a false identity to obtain entry clearance to the UK in the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office does not hold the specific information in relation to people from Pakistan using false identity, in the format requested. To obtain it would involve interrogating individual case records, at disproportionate cost.All out of country entry clearance applications are subject to an extensive range of mandatory and discretionary checks.These include, but are not limited to, identity, travel document verification, searches against national and international police records and against previous Immigration history.

Visas: Uganda

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of extending visa-free access to the UK to Ugandan citizens.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The UK keeps its visa system under regular review. There are currently no plans to change the visa requirements for Ugandan citizens.

Refugees: Children

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the number of unaccompanied child refugees in Calais who have family in the UK; and when that assessment was carried out.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The management of asylum claims and the protection of unaccompanied children in Calais is primarily a matter for the French authorities. A French non-government organisation, France Terre D'Asile (FDTA) has been charged with identifying isolated children with UK links. Both Governments are clear that unaccompanied children in Calais in need of protection should claim asylum in France. The UK will consider requests to take responsibility of an asylum application made in France, when lodged by a minor with close family connections in the UK, and both Governments are committed to ensuring such cases are prioritised. There has been intense cooperation between the UK and French authorities to improve the operation of the Dublin process. We have established a permanent official level contact group and we will shortly be seconding another UK expert to the French Interior Ministry. We have already made significant progress in speeding up the Dublin process. Since the beginning of the year over 120 children have been accepted for transfer from Europe under the family reunion provisions of Dublin, over 70 of whom were from France.

Postgraduate Education: Overseas Students

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation her Department carried out prior to launching the UKVI Tier Two pilot involving the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bath and Imperial College London.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of using institutional visa refusal rates as a indicator of institutional compliance with Tier 4 visa regulations.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office launched a Tier 4 visa pilot involving the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bath and Imperial College London on 25 July. The pilot has been introduced to test the benefits of a differentiated approach within the education sector on the basis of compliance with immigration sponsorship requirements.The pilot is deliberately narrow in scope, with the institutions selected on the basis of their consistently low level of visa refusals. Visa refusal rates are part of the Basic Compliance Assessment, which requires all Tier 4 sponsors to meet three core requirements based on measures of visa refusals, enrolment and completion of studies.The limited nature of the pilot is intended to ensure that the outcomes can be adequately monitored, whilst minimising the risk of unintended consequences, before considering rolling-out the scheme more widely.The four selected institutions were consulted regarding its implementation. Should the pilot be successful and rolled out more widely, the Home Office will consult key stakeholders about its expansion.

Entry Clearances

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Urdu speakers are employed at the (a) Home Office in Marsham Street, London and (b) British High Commission in Islamabad to investigate the background of people applying for entry clearance.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are no Urdu speakers employed by the Home Office in Marsham Street involved in processing Entry Clearance, as entry clearance applications are not considered at that location. There are 11 Urdu speaking staff employed at the British High Commission in Islamabad and seven at the British embassy in Abu Dhabi involved in the processing of visa applications, including investigating the background of people applying for entry clearance.Under our ‘hub and spoke’ arrangements, applications lodged in Pakistan for settlement, applications under the Points Based System, and EEA applications are processed at the Visa section in Sheffield. Applications lodged in Pakistan for visits are processed in Abu Dhabi. The British High Commission in Islamabad processes Official applications made in-house.

Detainees: Vulnerable Adults

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation her Department has undertaken on the draft adults at risk policy for vulnerable people detained under immigration powers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Stephen Shaw carried out a comprehensive consultation in preparing his report of his review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention and the adults at risk policy, which will come into force on 12 September 2016, forms part of the Government’s response to Mr Shaw’s review. The Government has seen no reason to duplicate this in developing the adults at risk policy. However, when the draft policy was published on 26 May 2016, the Government wrote to a wide range of relevant non-governmental organisations and offered them the opportunity to discuss it. Subsequently Home Office officials held meetings with a number of interested organisations, and received written representations, and the views of these organisations have been taken into account as the policy has been developed further.

Detainees: Vulnerable Adults

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how her Department plans to measure the effect of the adults at risk policy for vulnerable people detained under immigration powers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Consideration is being given to arrangements for measuring the impact of the adults at risk policy and other initiatives aimed at improving the safeguarding of vulnerable people in immigration detention. The expectation is that these initiatives will result in a reduction in the number of the most vulnerable who are detained. The Government intends to ask Stephen Shaw to carry out a short review next year in order to assess progress against the key actions from his previous report.

Immigrants: Detainees

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect on people detained in immigration removal centres of there being no time limit on immigration detention.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Although there is no formal time limit on detention for the purposes of immigration removal, individuals cannot be detained indefinitely. However, the Government commissioned Stephen Shaw to carry out a review of the welfare of vulnerable people in immigration detention and, as part of this, Mr Shaw commissioned Professor Mary Bosworth to assess the evidence in respect of the impact of immigration detention on mental health. The Government has been taking forward reforms of immigration detention in the light of Mr Shaw’s report.

Immigrants: Detainees

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to introduce a maximum time limit on the length of time for which a person can be detained under immigration powers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government does not believe that it is appropriate for there to be a formal time limit on immigration detention. A statutory time limit would serve only to encourage individuals to frustrate asylum and immigration processes in order to reach a point at which they have to be released.However, the Government is committed to ensuring that individuals are detained for the shortest period necessary and is introducing a range of reforms to the way in which immigration detention is managed, including greater judicial oversight of immigration detention through the Immigration Act 2016. Section 11 of Schedule 10 imposes a duty to arrange consideration of bail before the First-tier Tribunal at four months from the point of detention, or the most recent Tribunal consideration of bail, and every four months thereafter.

Immigration Controls: Ports

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to hold urgent discussions with her French counterparts on border controls at Dover and other British ports.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Secretary met with her French counterpart, Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, on Tuesday 30 August.The two nations committed to a number of specific steps, including:Further securing the ports and tunnel in the region - Britain has already provided around £85 million to reinforce security;Addressing humanitarian challenges in Calais, where around 7,000 migrants are now gathered - including 5,000 without housing;Continuing to work together to return illegal migrants in Calais who are not in need of protection;Bringing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK when in their best interest.A joint statement from both governments after talks reaffirmed the commitment to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, and to preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais.

Asylum: Children

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to accelerate the reunification of families for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe.We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.

Asylum: Children

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to accelerate the process of family reunification for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe.We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.

Asylum: Children

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many child refugees have been assisted to enter the UK in the past year (a) in total and (b) who have come from Calais to join family living in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 07 September 2016



In the year ending June 2016, 49% (1,308) of those resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Person’s Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) were under 18 years old. In April 2016 the Home Office announced a new scheme to resettle vulnerable children from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. We have worked closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to design this scheme.Since the beginning of this year, over 120 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Europe have been accepted for transfer to the UK, over 70 of which are from France.

Asylum: Children

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied minors have had their take charge request accepted in (a) Calais, (b) Greece and (c) Italy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 07 September 2016



Since the beginning of this year, over 120 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Europe have been accepted for transfer to the UK, over 70 of which are from France. The Government does not routinely publish statistics on the number of take charge requests accepted for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children transferring to the UK under the Dublin III regulation broken down by country or region.

Asylum: Children

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time was for the family reunification process to be completed in (a) Calais, (b) Greece and (c) Italy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 07 September 2016



For unaccompanied refugee children accepted for transfer to the UK, transfer requests are generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. However transfer arrangements are set by the transferring member state who have six months to do so under the III Dublin Regulations.

Asylum

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on allowing more refugees the opportunity to reach the UK safely and legally.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We operate several resettlement schemes that provide safe and legal routes to the United Kingdom for the most vulnerable refugees, including Gateway, Mandate, the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme and the Vulnerable children at risk schemes. In addition, we support the principle of family unity and have several routes to enable refugees and their families to be reunited.We are under no obligation to consider asylum claims lodged outside UK territory and it would not be appropriate to do so. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.We believe that seeking protection in the first safe country allows vulnerable people to receive help more quickly rather than risking their lives on hazardous journeys into and across Europe or falling victim to criminal gangs who are exploiting the situation. Providing humanitarian support in the region and working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on resettlement programmes remains the best way to provide much needed support to the majority of those facing persecution who remain in the region.

Asylum: Families

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department plans to do to increase the number of refugees reaching the UK safely and legally under the family reunification scheme.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We support the principle of family unity and have several routes for families to be reunited safely. Our family reunion policy allows a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18 of those granted protection in the UK to join them here, if they formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country. Over the past five years we have granted over 22,000 family reunion visas and will continue to do so.Where an application fails under the Immigration Rules, we consider whether there are exceptional or compassionate reasons for granting a visa outside the Rules. We published a revised Home Office policy on family reunion in July which provides further guidance for decision-makers on the types of case that may benefit from a grant of leave outside the Rules where there are exceptional circumstances.This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-reunion-instruction.

Passports

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of changing current UK passport types to the old blue style passport first issued in 1920.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are considering potential changes to the UK passport after the UK has left the European Union. At this early stage we have not undertaken a detailed cost benefit analysis or made any decisions about what a future UK passport might look like.

UN Refugees and Migrants Summit

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to attend the UN General Assembly meetings on refugees and migrants on 19 and 20 September 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: HM Government will be represented at the UN General Assembly high level meeting on 19 September and the Leaders’ Summit on refugees to be hosted by President Obama on 20 September.

Asylum: EU Law

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been transferred to another EU country under the Dublin III Regulation in the first six months of 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 07 September 2016



In the first six months of 2016, our records indicate that the UK has returned 198 applicants to other Member States under the Dublin III Regulations to have their asylum applications considered.

Home Office: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps her Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Following the referendum, internal structures have beeen put in place to coordinate the Home Office’s contribution to UK’s exit from the EU.The Home Office International Directorate is coordinating the Home Office’s approach both to ongoing EU business and the forthcoming UK exit negotiations. Alongside this work, the Home Office will continue to work with the Department for Exiting the EU in reaching the best deal for Britain.

Naturalisation

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken is to process reconsideration requests for rejected applications for British naturalisation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No information is recorded in national reporting systems to enable reporting on the time taken to process reconsideration requests for rejected applications for British naturalisation.

Asylum: Children

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to speed up family reunification for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe. We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.

Asylum: Children

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to accelerate family reunification for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 07 September 2016



The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe. We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.

Asylum: Housing

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the suitability and adequacy of conduct of landlords engaged by Serco and its subcontractors to provide accommodation to refugees and asylum seekers under the COMPASS contract.

Mr Robert Goodwill: COMPASS accommodation providers, including Serco, are contractually required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation to comply with the standards outlined in the relevant housing legislation and the Decent Homes Standard.The Government expects the highest standards from our contractors and providers are monitored closely to ensure asylum accommodation providers meet these standards. Where a contractor is found to be falling short of these standards, we work with them to ensure issues are quickly addressed. When they are not we can and do impose sanctions.

Asylum: Housing

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consultation and contact her Department has undertaken with local authorities on the suitability and conduct of landlords engaged by Serco and its subcontractors to provide accommodation to refugees and asylum seekers under the COMPASS contract.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office works closely with COMPASS providers and local authorities through Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers.These partnerships allow Providers to formally consult with local authorities and statutory bodies to ensure all new proposed property procurement and landlords meet the required contractual and statutory standards.Any Local Authority that has concerns about the suitability or conduct of individual landlords can raise this with the Home Office and COMPASS providers either directly or through the Strategic Migration Partnerships.

Immigration Controls: Railways

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on maintaining current immigration controls for passengers using international high-speed rail services to and from the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 07 September 2016



The UK is not part of the Schengen border-free zone and maintains its own border checks, retaining the right to check all arrivals, including EU citizens from continental Europe. The agreements that underpin juxtaposed immigration controls at international rail stations in France and Belgium are not directly affected by Britain’s membership of the EU.

Asylum: Children

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to accelerate the family reunification process for unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government began work to implement the ‘Dubs amendment’ immediately after the Immigration Bill gained Royal Assent. Over 30 children who meet the criteria in the Immigration Act have been accepted for transfer since it received Royal Assent in May, the majority of these have already arrived in the UK.We continue to work with the French, Greek and Italian authorities and others to speed up existing family reunification processes or implement new processes where necessary for unaccompanied children. We have seconded a UK official to Greece, we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and will shortly be seconding another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts.We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children. Transfer requests under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks. Over 120 children have been accepted for transfer this year from Europe. We also continue to consult local authorities about the transfer unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK, where it is in their best interests.

Asylum

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on accepting refugees fleeing war zones; and whether that policy has changed since the EU referendum.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There have been no changes to the policy on how we consider claims for asylum following the result of the referendum. Each asylum claim lodged in the United Kingdom is carefully considered on its individual merits based on the evidence submitted by the applicant, regardless of where the individual originates from.However, we are under no obligation to consider asylum claims lodged outside UK territory and it is not appropriate to do so. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.We continue to operate several resettlement schemes providing safe and legal routes to the UK for the most vulnerable refugees, including Gateway, Mandate, the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme and the Vulnerable children at risk schemes. In addition, we support the principle of family unity and have several routes to enable refugees and their families to be reunited.

Asylum: Housing

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2016 to Question 42791, if she will publish the information her Department holds on registered social landlords for the provision of services to asylum seekers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office provides asylum seeker accommodation through contracts. Those providers have a range of landlords with whom they work to provide accommodation.There are no plans to publish information regarding the detailed measures or key performance indicators of individual providers or their properties.

Undocumented Migrants

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arrested on suspicion of illegally entering the UK between January 2013 and April 2016 have been (a) convicted of that offence and (b) subsequently removed from the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It would be a disproportionate cost to disaggregate this information.

UN Refugees and Migrants Summit

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will make a commitment at the UN General Assembly meetings on refugees and migrants on 19 and 20 September 2016 to allow more refugees to reach the UK safely and legally.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government has no plans to introduce additional pathways for refugees to come to the UK. The UK is already a leading resettlement state, offering a number of safe and legal pathways for refugees. In the year ending June 2016, a total of 3,439 people were resettled in the UK.In addition to the 20,000 Syrian refugees and up to 3,000 vulnerable persons from the Middle East and North Africa region that the Government has committed to resettle by 2020, the UK has also committed to relocate unaccompanied refugee children from France, Greece and Italy. Under the family reunion policy we have reunited around 22,000 refugees with their immediate family over the past five years and will continue to do so. The Government supports the principle that those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach. This allows vulnerable persons to receive help quickly rather than risking their lives on hazardous journeys into and across Europe or falling victim to criminal gangs who are exploiting the situation. Providing humanitarian aid in the region is the best way to provide much needed support to the majority of those fleeing persecution while working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to resettle the most vulnerable who cannot reasonably remain.

Asylum: Children

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children was provided to each (a) local authority and (b) gateway authority in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15, (iii) 2015-16, and (iv) 2016-17.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 07 September 2016



For the periods we have full information [FY 13-14, 14-15 & 15-16], a total of £243 million in funding was distributed to the following local authorities and gateway authorities, to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children. [This data is taken from unpublished local management information that is not subject to national statistics protocols and is therefore subject to change]. [Table]



Local Authorities support -asylum seeking children
(Word Document, 159.5 KB)

Asylum: Housing

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has to improve the provision of asylum accommodation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We have worked closely with our COMPASS Providers to improve property standards and over the lifetime of the contract quality standards have increased. Where issues with accommodation are discovered we work with our contractors to ensure issues are quickly addressed. When they are not we can and do impose sanctions and seek remedial plans to drive improvement. Through continued engagement with service users and accommodation providers and regular property inspections the Home Office will continue to ensure asylum accommodation is adequate.

Overseas Students: Scotland

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to include Scottish universities in the Government's tier 4 Visa Pilot.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Tier 4 visa pilot has been introduced to test the benefits of a differentiated approach within the education sector on the basis of compliance with immigration sponsorship requirements.The pilot is deliberately narrow in scope, with institutions selected due to their consistently low visa refusal rates. This is to ensure that the outcomes can be adequately monitored, whilst minimising the risk of unintended consequences, before considering rolling-out the scheme more widely.Should the pilot be successful, the Home Office will liaise with stakeholders, including Scottish universities, over plans for extending the scheme.

Refugees: Children

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken is for family reunification of unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 08 September 2016



For unaccompanied refugee children accepted for transfer to the UK, transfer requests are generally processed within 10 days and children transferred within weeks.

Immigrants: English Language

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to contact visa and naturalisation applicants to ask those applicants to submit an up-to-date English Language Certificate if an application is to be refused solely on the grounds of the submission of an expired certificate.

Mr Robert Goodwill: For visa purposes, it is not Home Office policy to give an applicant the opportunity to submit a further document if they have provided an out of date English language certificate. Knowledge of the English language is a key requirement of the Immigration Rules which applicants are expected to comply with before they apply. The Immigration Rules specify that, where applicable, the test certificate must be within its validity date.For naturalisation applications, a person is allowed a period of two weeks to provide any missing information, but they would be expected to have met the language requirement before submitting an application.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department had with the Department for Education before the decision to withdraw government guidance that most new schools are expected to be fitted with automatic fire sprinkler systems.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Education’s consultation on Fire Safety Design for Schools – Building Bulletin (BB) 100 Revised closed on 15 August and the Department for Education is considering responses.We will engage with the Department for Education on its proposals on the way forward, ahead of its publication .

EU Nationals: Universities

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to ensure EU nationals currently employed in UK universities will retain their positions after the UK has left the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living and working in the UK, and the only circumstances in which that wouldn’t be possible is if British citizens’ rights in other EU Member States were not protected in return.

Prime Ministers: Official Cars

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the manufacturer and model is of the Prime Ministerial car.

Mr Ben Wallace: Holding answer received on 12 September 2016



The car used by the Prime Minister is a Jaguar. Further specifications of the car, such as the car's model, are not released on security grounds.

Anti-Slavery Day

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to mark Anti-Slavery Day 2016; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October is an important opportunity to continue to raise awareness of this appalling crime. We have made good progress in tackling it, but there is more to do. A range of events will mark the day and I will announce my own plans in due course.

Police: Ethnic Groups

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what annual change there has been in the number of BAME people serving in the police in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office publishes data on the number of individuals working for the police, broken down by worker type and ethnicity, as part of the ‘Police workforce in England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.The attached table contains data on the number of police officers who were from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds as at 31 March in each year between 2010 and 2016. To provide the appropriate context, tables of total worker numbers and the proportion that were BAME are also provided.These were published in the latest police workforce bulletin (for March 2016) and the tables can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2016



Police officers from BAME backgrounds
(Excel SpreadSheet, 40.5 KB)




Police officers from BAME backgrounds
(Excel SpreadSheet, 40.5 KB)




Police officers from BAME backgrounds
(Excel SpreadSheet, 41 KB)

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications were made by (a) EEA nationals for registration certificates and (b) EEA family members and extended family members for residence cards in each month since January 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Syria

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on the granting of visas to Syrian passport holders to enter the UK on a short term basis.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her Department's policy to immediately reject visa applications based on the applicant's nationality.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It is not Home Office policy to refuse an application for a visa on the basis of an applicant’s nationality. All visa applications are considered on their merits, in accordance with the Immigration Rules.

Fire Prevention: Schools

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government's chief fire and rescue advisor was consulted on changes to policy on fire safety policy for new school buildings.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Education’s consultation on Fire Safety Design for Schools – Building Bulletin (BB) 100 Revised closed on 15 August and the Department for Education is considering responses.The Home Office, including the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, will engage with the Department for Education on its proposals on the way forward, ahead of its publication.

Immigration Controls

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passenger interviews were undertaken with people of each (a) ethnicity, (b) religion and (c) nationality by UK Border Agency officials at each UK airport in the last five years; and whether each of those passengers was permitted to continue their journey after that interview.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police: Equality

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking with Police and Crime Commissioners to improve diversity in police forces.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support diversity champions in the police force.

Brandon Lewis: The Government is clear; increasing diversity in our police forces is not an optional extra. It goes right to the heart of this country’s historic principle of policing by consent. We must ensure that the public have trust and confidence in the police, and that the police reflect the communities they serve.The Government has reformed policing to ensure that there is a sector-led approach to making improvements, including in the area of recruitment and representation.The College of Policing as the professional body for policing is delivering a major piece of work -black, Asian and minority ethnic Progression 2018 - to address under-representation in policing. The Government looks forward to working with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and individual Police and Crime Commissioners as democratically elected local leaders of policing, to place a greater emphasis on this agenda and urges PCCs to consider the opportunities provided through the Police Transformation Fund.While the Government would expect senior commitment in all forces it is for local leaders to decide how they will deliver improvements.

Security Industry Authority

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of locating the Security Industry Authority outside London; and what alternative locations have been considered for that authority.

Brandon Lewis: The Security Industry Authority is already considering options for a move from Holborn as part of its planning around estates.

Anti-Slavery Day

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to mark Anti-Slavery Day and to acknowledge the work of non-governmental organisations, local authorities and people involved in tackling slavery; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Local authorities, Non-Governmental Organisations and the statutory agencies all make a vital contribution to the fight against modern slavery. Various events will mark Anti-Slavery Day and I will announce my own plans in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 17 August 2016 to the Director General, UK Visas and Immigration on visitor visas, constituent case references GWF041254009 and GWF 041254061.

Mr Robert Goodwill: A response to your letter of 17 August 2016 has been sent today.

Refugees: Syria

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to work with the Local Government Association to explore the possibility of accommodating more than 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The UK has already committed to resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees from the region during this parliament and we have no plans to increase this at the present time. Our priorities are humanitarian aid and actively seeking an end to the conflict in Syria.We believe this approach is the best way to ensure that the UK’s help has the greatest impact for the majority of refugees who remain in the region and their host countries. The government has been working with the Local Government Association, local authorities and devolved administrations across the UK in order to ensure we have the capacity and infrastructure to meet our commitment to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrians by the end of this Parliament.

Refugees: Syria

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the Syrian refugees planned to be taken in by the UK by 2020 will be located in each (a) constituent nation and region and (b) local authority area in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme is voluntary and there has been a tremendous amount of goodwill from local authorities. Some of those authorities have not resettled people in the initial phases of the scheme, but will be resettling people in the future. We ask local authorities who have pledged their help be sure they have the infrastructure and support networks needed to ensure the appropriate care and integration of these refugees before telling us how many individuals they believe they are able to resettle. Once a local authority has pledged to resettle refugees – however many – we work with them to ensure there are suitable accommodation and care packages in place in that authority area in order for resettlement to take place. We will only place individuals in a particular area once we’ve ensured these arrangements are in place and will manage the flows based on need and in support of the wellbeing of the people and communities involved.

Refugees

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to support local authorities in integrating refugees into British society.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Syria

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to publish regular updates on progress on accepting Syrian refugees into the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.Latest statistics published on 25 August confirmed that a total of a total of 2,898 Syrians have been resettled under the scheme since it began, 2,646 of these arriving since 1 October 2015.

War Crimes: Criminal Investigation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to police services on investigation of historical war crimes.

Brandon Lewis: The investigation and prosecution of individuals suspected of war crimes is an operational matter and any decision to investigate or prosecute is the responsibility of the police in consultation with Crown Prosecution Service. Investigations into these offences are conducted using jointly agreed guidelines between the Crown Prosecution Service and SO15 ; these guidelines can be found on the Crown Prosecution Service website. The Home Office does not issue separate guidance to police forces on investigation of historical war crimes.

Asylum: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of unaccompanied minors who have (a) applied for and (b) been granted asylum in the UK in each of the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Figures on asylum applications and decisions for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) are published quarterly by the Home Office in the Immigration Statistics release.The attached table shows asylum applications, decisions and grants from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, excluding dependants, from Quarter 3 2015 to Quarter 2 2016.A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics April to June 2016, is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-april-to-june-2016



Asylum application decisions
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.76 KB)

Hate Crime

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to extend the range of hate crimes.

Sarah Newton: The Government continues to keep the law on hate crime under review. The Law Commission published a report on hate crime legislation in May 2014. This considered whether existing offences should be extended to other groups not currently covered by the offences and made recommendations including that there should be a full review of the hate crime framework. The Government made a commitment to a review of hate crime legislation in its manifesto and is considering options.

Overseas Visitors: Middle East

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the differences are in entry clearance requirements of visitors to the UK from (a) Israel and (b) the occupied Palestinian territories.

Mr Robert Goodwill: All non EEA Visitors to the UK are assessed against the requirements set out in appendix V of the Immigration Rules. These are the same for all regardless of nationality.

Overseas Visitors: Middle East

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for entry clearance visas were (a) made, (b) resolved, (c) issued, (d) refused and (e) lapsed for (i) the occupied Palestinian territories and (ii) Israel in the last year for which figures are available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The latest available information is given in the table below.  Entry clearance visa applications resolved, granted, refused, lapsed and withdrawn: Year ending June 2016   ApplicationsResolvedof whichNationality  Granted%Refused%WithdrawnLapsedIsrael1,0971,09496788%11811%90Occupied Palestinian Territories4,7424,6942,77459%1,86340%570Table notes: Figures include visitor visas and transit visas. Israeli nationals are not required to apply for a visa if coming to the UK as tourists or visitors. Palestinians will be required to apply for visas for all applications to enter the UK. Source: Immigration Statistics April - June 2016, Home Office, table vi_02_q.The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, April - June 2016’, available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

Pornography: Internet

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) arrested and (b) charged on suspicion of committing an offence under section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 for allegedly disclosing private sexual photographs or films with intent to cause distress; and what the sex of the offenders was in each category.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office.The Home Office collects data on the number of arrests by each police force in England and Wales at offence group level (e.g. violence against the person, sexual offences etc.). This can be broken down by sex of the arrestee. However, the data cannot be broken down to identify the specific legislation (such as the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015) under which each arrest was made.The Home Office receives data from police forces in England and Wales which show offences recorded by the police that resulted in one or more people being charged or summonsed. It is not possible to determine either the number of people charged for each offence or what section of an act someone was charged under.The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales.

Visas: India

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of potential merits of introducing a two year visa option for visitors from India.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Indian citizens can already apply for 2, 5 and 10 year validity visit visas.

Police: Complaints

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to section 29 of the Police Reform Act 2002, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to enable former police officers and staff to make complaints to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Brandon Lewis: The police complaints system is for the public to express dissatisfaction about their interaction with the police. Former officers and staff can use this system with some limited exceptions if the conduct concerned took place whilst they were serving with the police. Serving police officers and staff are encouraged to raise concerns relating to their force through the relevant channels, including through whistle-blowing hotlines.The Government is introducing reforms through the Policing and Crime Bill to strengthen protections for police whistle-blowers, creating a new power for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to investigate concerns raised by police whistle-blowers without disclosing their identity (subject to limited exceptions). Both serving and former officers will be able to raise matters with the IPCC under this new legislation.

Prisoners' Release: Foreign Nationals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many foreign national offenders were released without being considered for deportation by (a) sex, (b) ethnicity and (c) country of origin in 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Home Office publishes quarterly statistics on the number of foreign national offenders that have been released without consideration, within the Immigration Statistics release on the GOV.UK website:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-enforcement-data-may-2016https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-enforcement-data-august-2016With regards to their sex, ethnicity and country of origin, it is the general policy of the Home Office not to disclose data where it refers to five individuals or less so that the identities of individuals can be protected. As less than five individuals have been released without consideration, the data is not disclosable.

Northern Ireland Office

Disability: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had on maintaining the level of funding for disabled people in Northern Ireland when support for such people from the European Social Fund ceases.

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on securing infrastructure funding for projects in Northern Ireland when the UK withdraws from the EU.

Kris Hopkins: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has regular discussions with colleagues on a range of issues regarding the UK’s exit from the European Union. The Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed on 13 August that European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs) projects signed before the Autumn Statement will be fully funded, even when these projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. For projects signed after the Autumn Statement, the Government will work with the devolved administrations on funding arrangements to allow them to prioritise projects within their devolved responsibilities. As we transition to longer-term arrangements, we will ensure the devolved administrations are treated fairly and that their circumstances are taken into account.

Department of Health

Electrical Safety

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any NHS bodies offer advice to parents that electrical safety socket covers or inserts should be installed in the home.

Mr Philip Dunne: On 30 June 2016 the Department issued an Estates and Facilities Alert (EFA) 2016/002 advising that electrical socket inserts should be removed from all premises where National Health Service care is delivered. The alert also advises NHS organisations against providing electrical socket inserts for use in the home. The safety Alert can be found at the following link: https://www.cas.dh.gov.uk/ViewandAcknowledgment/ViewAlert.aspx?AlertID=102494

NHS Professionals

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2016 to Question 41361, on NHS Professionals, which potential options his Department has been exploring.

Mr Philip Dunne: No decisions have yet been taken by Ministers on the future of NHS Professionals.

Health Services: Finance

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England's consultation on developing a method to assist investment decisions in specialised services, published in April 2016, what budget has been allocated to support new investments in specialised services in 2016-17.

David Mowat: NHS England funds a range of new treatments and interventions for specialised services each year. NHS England’s specialised commissioning budget received an additional £1 billion in 2016-17 compared to 2015-16 to cover a range of new investments including the impact of demographic changes and new treatments and interventions. Most of this additional £1 billion is covering the costs of demographic changes. With regard to new treatments and interventions, many of these were considered as ‘In Year Service Developments’ – policies which are cost-saving or cost neutral. This includes 12 new treatments and services that were confirmed in July 2016. Further information on these decisions is available at the following address: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2016/07/spec-services-investment/ In addition NHS England funds the cost of drug indications approved through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal and highly specialised technology appraisals process. For new drug indications that have commenced since April 2016, NHS England has released approximately £45 million to date. Finally, policies which require new investment and that are not being considered by NICE are considered as part of the Annual Prioritisation process. NHS England has set aside £25 million to fund new treatments approved as part of this process for 2016-17. This is in addition to £340 million budgeted for the new Cancer Drugs Fund.

Cerebral Palsy: Children

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what measures his Department has in place to ensure that children with cerebral palsy in rural areas are able to access the services they require.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to make additional funds available to areas where specialist cerebral palsy facilities are not currently available.

David Mowat: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning universal health services for their area that meet the needs of their local population. In doing so they should take account of best practice such as that set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Funding for CCGs is allocated by NHS England using an agreed formula. Paediatric neurology services are provided in both out and in-patient settings. The majority of these are specialised services commissioned directly by NHS England. These specialised services are based in Neurosciences Centres which have the necessary infrastructure in terms of diagnostic services and other specialities. However, paediatric neurology provides out-patient services based in secondary care centres around the geographical region served. This allows specialist services to be provided as near to patients as is reasonably feasible When considering what services should be commissioned we expect commissioners to take account of best practice and guidance and, where appropriate, the local Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, and Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which captures local need. The Department has asked NICE to develop guidance on cerebral palsy. The guideline, Cerebral palsy: diagnosis and management in children and young people under 25 is currently open for consultation and is expected to be published in January 2017. Guidance for adults is also being developed and is expected to be published in 2019.

General Practitioners and Hospitals: Attendance

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the number of missed GP and hospital appointments in (a) England and (b) each clinical commissioning group in each year since 2010.

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the cost of missed GP and hospital appointments in (a) England and (b) each clinical commissioning group in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information on the number and cost of missed general practice appointments in England is not held centrally. Information on the number of first and subsequent consultant-led hospital outpatient appointments that the patient did not attend is shown in the following table for England and in the attached table for National Health Service commissioning organisations. Table: Number of first and subsequent consultant-led hospital outpatient appointments that the patient did not attend, England, 2010-11 to 2015-16YearNumber of did not attends (millions)2010-115.72011-125.52012-135.52013-145.52014-155.72015-165.8Source: NHS England, quarterly activity return, published on the NHS England website at http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/hospital-activity/quarterly-hospital-activity/ Information on the cost of missed hospital appointments is not collected centrally. However, the most recently published data from the Department’s annual collection of reference costs from NHS trusts and foundation trusts estimated the national average unit cost of a consultant-led outpatient attendance at £132 in 2014-15. Multiplying the number of missed appointments by this figure would give an upper estimate of their costs, because NHS organisations can and do plan for an anticipated level of missed appointments.   



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Haematological Cancer

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the financial saving to the NHS of the policy to no longer routinely fund second stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients who have relapsed.

David Mowat: Decisions are taken by NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group that leads on the annual prioritisation process. The prioritisation process includes an impact assessment that compared the cost of a second transplant to alternative treatment pathways for relapsed disease.

Liver Diseases: Health Services

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost of providing care to a person with (a) decompensated cirrhosis and (b) hepatocellular carcinoma has been in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

David Mowat: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the table below and is from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. Reference costs are published annually, with most recently available data being for 2014-15. Reference costs for acute care are collected by healthcare resource group (HRG), which are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments that consume similar levels of healthcare resource. HRGs are organised by chapters and sub-chapters, representing different body systems, and HRG sub-chapters GC and PG describe hepatobiliary and pancreatic system disorders for adults and children respectively. The average costs in the following table will therefore include the costs to NHS hospitals of treating decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as the costs of other related disorders. These costs do not include high cost drugs, or treatment in outpatient or other settings outside of hospital. They reflect the costs of a single episode of care under one consultant for a patient admitted to hospital for elective and non-elective treatment. Patients admitted to hospital may have multiple episodes of care and each one of these episodes will be recorded separately.Table: Average cost to NHS hospitals of treating hepatobiliary and pancreatic system disorders, 2014-15 Average cost per unit of activity (£)Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders1,984Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders1,751Paediatric, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders2,344Source: Reference costs, Department of Health Notes:The following HRGs are included in the table:GC12C Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Multiple InterventionsGC12D Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 5+GC12E Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 2-4GC12F Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 0-1GC12G Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 6+GC12H Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 3-5GC12J Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 1-2GC12K Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 0GC17A Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 9+GC17B Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 4-8GC17C Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 0-3GC17D Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 9+GC17E Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 4-8GC17F Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 0-3GC17G Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 8+GC17H Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 5-7GC17J Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 2-4GC17K Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 0-1PG71A Paediatric, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with CC Score 2+PG71B Paediatric, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with CC Score 1PG71C Paediatric, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with CC Score 0These HRGs are common groupings of the ICD-10 codes used to count the number of finished admission episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma or decompensated cirrhosis. They also include other ICD-10 codes.For each HRG or other currency in the reference cost collection, NHS hospital trusts submit a unit cost and amount of activity undertaken.

Haematological Cancer

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of relapsed blood cancer patients who will no longer be able to access second stem cell transplants as a result of the NHS England decision published on 11 July 2016 to no longer routinely fund second stem cell transplants for those patients.

David Mowat: The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group which makes recommendations to the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group uses a defined process to prioritise treatments based on a combination of cost and patient benefit. The process includes an impact assessment that estimated that up to 22 patients per year by 2021 might be affected by this decision.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the allocation of funding for second stem cell transplants.

David Mowat: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any discussions related to the allocation of funding for second stem cell transplants. NHS England has announced that the second stem cell transplants will be included as part of a re-run of the prioritisation process by the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group to be completed later this year.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received from charities and health experts on the allocation of funding for second stem cell transplants.

David Mowat: The Department has received representations from a range of individuals and organisations including the charity Anthony Nolan.

Liver Diseases: Transplant Surgery

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost of a liver transplant was in the last year.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England advises that the overall cost of operations for 2015-16 is currently being finalised. However, based on 2014-15 financial information, the average cost per operation in that year was £67,131. These figures are for the United Kingdom as liver transplantation is a service that NHS England commissions on behalf of England and the three devolved nations.

Genito-urinary Medicine and Liver Diseases

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions officials of his Department have had with their counterparts in (a) Wales on the Welsh Liver Disease Delivery Plan and (b) Scotland on the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework.

David Mowat: There have been no discussions with counterparts in Wales on the Welsh Liver Disease Delivery Plan or Scotland on the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework. Public Health England contributes to the Lancet Commission on Liver Disease and the Lancet Commission have also reviewed the Welsh Liver Disease Delivery Plan.

General Practitioners: Derby

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect that inability to access GP appointments is having on the levels of people presenting at Accident and Emergency services in Derby; and if he will take steps to increase access to GP appointments in Derby.

David Mowat: The commissioning and provision of primary medical care services, including general practitioner (GP) appointments, is a matter for NHS England and local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). As such, the Department itself makes no assessment of the effect of accessibility of GP appointments on accident and emergency services in Derby. Southern Derbyshire CCG acknowledges that results from this year’s GP Patient Survey varied across its 55 GP practices, although the CCG believes that overall it is in line with average national performance. The CCG is therefore focusing support on those practices in greatest need. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the Chief Officer of her local CCG, Southern Derbyshire CCG, for the relevant information. To implement the Government’s commitment to transform GP access, £175 million has been invested in the GP Access Fund from April 2014 to test improved and innovative access to GP services in schemes across the country. Across the two waves of the Access Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices. 18 million patients, a third of the population, have benefited from improved access and transformational change at local level including evening and weekend appointments.

Ambulance Services

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve ambulance response times.

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve ambulance response times.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Review is working to reform and improve the provision of urgent and emergency care in England. As part of the review, NHS England is considering how to improve responses to 999 calls and patient outcomes under the Ambulance Response Programme. We expect the programme will report its findings in autumn 2016.

Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of avoidable deaths linked to poor quality care in (a) Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, (b) North Manchester General Hospital, (c) the Royal Oldham Hospital, (d) Fairfield General Hospital and (e) Rochdale Infirmary by clinical department in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has made no such estimate. It is the responsibility of the respective Trust Boards, their commissioners and their regulators, and of the clinicians who work at Trusts, to ensure that the expected standards of care quality are being met. The Care Quality Commission is carrying out a review of how National Health Service acute, community healthcare and mental health trusts investigate deaths and learn from their investigations. Information on this review is available at: https://www.cqc.org.uk/content/our-review-how-nhs-trusts-investigate-and-learn-deaths

Mental Health Services: West Midlands

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children  and young people in Coventry and Warwickshire have been treated by child and adolescent mental health services in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Nicola Blackwood: Information is not available in the format requested. Information is only available from January 2016 onwards. Information on the number of people in contact with young people’s mental health services at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust at the end of each month from January to May 2016 is shown in the following table.  January 2016February 2016March 2016April 2016May 2016Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust4,4204,5054,6905,4904,660 Source: Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS), NHS DigitalNotes:The MHSDS contains record-level data about the care of children, young people and adults who are in contact with mental health, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder services. The MHSDS has been collected from January 2016.Children and Young People Mental Health Services includes those services indentified within the MHSDS as having a designated Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) tier and additionally services to specified child mental health services where a CAMHS tier has not been present. Where this identifying information is not present in the dataset for a record, this would not be used in counts where accessing a specific mental health service type is a qualifying citeria. Further information about the construction of the measures included in this analysis can be found in the metadata file published in the Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics report.Children and Young People Mental Health Services counts may include people aged over 18 years who are transitioning to adult mental health services.All values have been rounded to the nearest 5.

Mental Health Services: West Midlands

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the funding from the public purse was for child and adolescent mental health services in Coventry and Warwickshire in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Nicola Blackwood: Information is not available in the format requested. NHS England and local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Local authorities also commission some children and young people’s mental health services, as do schools. The Government is investing an additional £1.4 billion in an ambitious five year programme of system-wide transformation to improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. This comprises £150 million to develop evidence based community eating disorder services for children and young people, and £1.25 billion for improving children and young people’s mental health services and perinatal mental health services. Most of the additional funding is for local areas to invest in transforming services. Funding was subsequently provided by NHS England to CCGs, including the three Coventry and Warwickshire CCGs, in August 2015. Allocations for 2015-16 are set out in Annex 4 of the Local Transformation Planning Guidance: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/annex-4-transformation-plan-guidance-ccg.pdf

Health Services: Finance

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions officials of his Department have had with NHS England on the alignment between the Pharmaceutical Price Regulations Scheme, NICE technology appraisals and funding decisions made by NHS England.

Nicola Blackwood: Officials meet regularly with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England to discuss medicines pricing and funding.

Nurses

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of non-medical prescribing nurses.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department and NHS England have successfully extended prescribing responsibilities to a wider group of health professions, including nurses. This is helping the National Health Service to deliver more timely and effective patient care. These professionals are termed ‘non-medical prescribers’, in order to distinguish them from doctors and dentists. There are two types of non-medical prescriber: ― Independent Prescribers are able to complete whole episodes of care for a patient, taking responsibility from consultation through to diagnosis and finally, if appropriate, prescription. ― Supplementary Prescribers work in conjunction with a doctor to provide patient care. Supplementary Prescribing is a voluntary partnership between an independent prescriber (in this case a doctor) and a supplementary prescriber, to implement a patient-specific clinical management plan, with the patient’s agreement. To become a non-medical prescriber, nurses must undertake a recognised Nursing and Midwifery Council accredited prescribing course through a United Kingdom university, sponsored by their employer on the basis of service need. Local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population are therefore responsible for investing in training for nurses’ prescribing roles to deliver the best patient care and meet the changing needs of patients and services.

Roads: Accidents

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England received NHS treatment as a result of road traffic accidents in each year since 2010.

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department holds information on the number of people in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland with insurance who received NHS treatment following a road traffic accident in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: These data are not collected centrally.

Older People: Dehydration

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of dehydration on the (a) safety and (b) health of elderly people living in care homes; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: In 2014 the Government updated the requirements of regulation with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide greater clarity about how the nutritional and hydration needs should be met. The new requirements are set out in Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, which came into force on 1 April 2015. The CQC can prosecute for a breach of this regulation if a failure to meet the regulation results in avoidable harm to a person using the service, or a person using the service is exposed to significant risk of harm.

General Practitioners

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) improve access to and (b) decrease waiting times for services provided by GPs.

David Mowat: To implement the Government’s commitment to transform access to general practice (GP), £175 million has been invested in the GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. Across the two waves of the Access Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices and 18 million patients – a third of the population – have benefited from improved access and transformational change at local level. This includes more appointments being made available, especially at times more convenient for patients, such as weekday evenings and weekends. It also includes different approaches like telephone consultations and better use of the wider primary care workforce (such as Advanced Nurse Practitioners, pharmacists, the voluntary sector, physiotherapists and paramedics) to deliver improved access to patients. These approaches have helped release local GP capacity, improve patient choice, and more appropriately matched the needs of patients with the most appropriate professional to care for them. In addition to Access Fund sites, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) may offer local initiatives for improving access to GPs. Practices in the GP Access Fund are testing an automated appointment measuring interface (the GP Appointment Tool) to give them detailed information about their activity and how it varies over time. This will help practices match their supply of appointments more closely to demand. It will be available for every practice from 2017-18. The General Practice Forward View, published in April 2016, announced that an extra £2.4 billion a year will be invested in GP services by 2020-21. As part of overall investment in general practice, NHS England will provide over £500 million of recurrent funding by 2020-21, on top of current primary medical care allocations, to enable CCGs to commission and fund extra capacity across England. This is to ensure that by 2020, everyone has access to GP services, including sufficient routine appointments at evenings and weekends to meet locally determined demand, alongside effective access to out-of-hours and urgent care services.

Health Services

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide seed funding to voluntary sector organisations to provide services to improve the transition between child and adult health services.

David Mowat: This Department with NHS England, Public Health England and representatives from the voluntary sector has been conducting the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Investment Review, looking at investments in and partnerships with the voluntary sector at both a local and national level. As part of this, we considered the Voluntary Sector Investment Programme, consisting of the Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development and Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund grant schemes and the Strategic Partner Programme. On 19 May the Department published Joint review of partnerships and investment in voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in the health and care sector: Final report produced in partnership by representatives of the VCSE sector and the Department of Health, NHS England, and Public Health England. We are reshaping the programme to reflect the recommendations in the report and will announce our plans in due course. The Department has provided over £420,000 in grant funding, covering three years from 2013-14, to Together for Short Lives, the national organisation that represents children’s hospices. The grant supports the Transition Taskforce’s provision of guidance and training to enable good transitions locally between children’s and adult services for those with life-limiting conditions.

Prisoners: Health Services

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prison healthcare appointments were cancelled or postponed in each prison in the last 12 months due to a lack of staff to escort prisoners.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many external hospital appointments were scheduled for prisoners in each prison in the last 12 months.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prison healthcare appointments were scheduled in each prison in the last 12 months.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many external hospital appointments for prisoners were cancelled or postponed in each prison in the last 12 months due to a lack of staff to escort prisoners.

Nicola Blackwood: The information is not held in the format requested.

Department of Health: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish a list of all secondees to his Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

David Mowat: In line with privacy and data protection legislation as well as standing Cabinet Office instructions, the exact numbers and details of individual roles cannot be published. This is to prevent the personal identification of individuals either directly or in combination with other published information. There have been two appointments in total into Senior Civil Servant roles as follows, during the years in question as follows: NameStart dateGradeEnd dateSeconding OrganisationRoleRobin Furnell24/08/2015SCS131/12/2016AccentureContract Management Function Implementation LeadNicole Mather22/04/2014SCS222/10/2016Deloitte (formally seconded to BEIS and part-time to DH)Director - Office for Life Sciences  During the same period of time, at lower grades the following table summarises the disclosable information CompanyNumbersGrades of rolePwC5 or fewerHEO and SEODeloitte5 or fewerAnalyst and G7Ernst and Young5 or fewerG7KPMG0-Accenture0- The above information does not include secondees to the Department’s agencies or arms’ length bodies.

Department of Health: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times his Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

David Mowat: The breakdown for the last three financial years 2013-14 to 2015-16 for both the Department’s cost and how many times it has used the services of Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers are all contained in the attached table. Spend for all four firms is taken from cash receipted amounts against purchase orders in line with Crown Commercial Services definitions and is not comparable with consultancy costs data published annually by the Department, where all now reported as resource (accruals) based. Any further information would incur disproportionate cost to provide.



PQ44352 Table
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Hospitals: Discharges

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of patients in hospitals who are medically fit for discharge on the latest date for which figures are available.

David Mowat: NHS England’s Monthly Situation Report collects data on the number of patients delayed on the last Thursday of each month and the total delayed days during the month, for all patients delayed throughout the month. This data is available by organisation, type of care and reason, for every local authority and NHS Trust in England. The attached link refers. https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/delayed-transfers-of-care/2016-17-data/

Mental Health Services: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the findings of the NSPCC's report, Transforming mental health services for children who have experienced abuse: A review of Local Transformation Plans, published in June 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: We appreciate the work done by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in preparing their report in advance of NHS England’s own qualitative analysis published on 22 August 2016. NHS England also produced a quantitative review in January 2016. We have an ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders such as the NSPCC to discuss areas of shared interest such as how best we can ensure an effective response to those children and young people who have been abused, including those who have been sexually abused.

NHS Low Income Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications to the NHS Low Income Scheme were granted in each year from 2008 to 2016; and how many apprentices are currently on the NHS Low Income Scheme.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the overall cost of administering the NHS Low Income Scheme was in each of the last three years.

David Mowat: The table below shows the number of applications to the NHS Low Income Scheme, and the certificates which were granted, in each year from 2008 to 2016: YearHC1s ReceivedHC2s IssuedHC3s Issued2007/08422,652240,288140,5012008/09445,608252,037148,0182009/10431,129243,350142,1352010/11433,075249,193139,3752011/12422,591246,808134,2762012/13399,375229,618122,5802013/14389,324225,275120,3912014/15385,131214,975113,9642015/16383,487225,239112,414  A HC2 certificate entitles the person (and their family) to full remission of the charge, whereas a HC3 certificate provides partial remission and indicates how much of the charge the person must pay. Figures for apprentices who hold NHS Low Income Scheme certificates are not available, as information on who is an apprentice is not collected. The overall cost to administer the NHS Low Income Scheme in the last three financial years are set out below. These figures represent the direct costs of the NHS Low Income Scheme service in England, Scotland and Wales. The figures do not include overheads associated with the wider infrastructure of the NHS Business Services Authority: YearCost (£)2015/161,469,0342014/151,566,5872013/141,594,957

Offences against Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will update the guidance to clinical commissioning groups on local transformation plans to ensure that thorough local assessment of the needs of children who have been abused is carried out ahead of the refresh of such plans in October 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: Local health needs assessments should include an assessment of the mental health needs of children and young people, including those who have been abused. Both Future in mind and the guidance that set out the process for submitting Local Transformation Plans (published in August 2015) emphasised the need to cover the whole spectrum of services for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing from prevention to interventions, and – drawing on local assessments of need - to address the full spectrum of need including children and young people who have particular vulnerability to mental health problems. This includes children who have been sexually abused and/or exploited. There is no intention of updating the original guidance though further guidance was issued recently on implementation of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health (see https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/fyfv-mh.pdf) which contained some additional information on the children and young people’s transformation programme.

General Practitioners: Income

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's policy to reduce the minimum practice income guarantee.

David Mowat: The Minimum Practice Income Guarantee is being phased out because it is inequitable. Under the system, two practices in the same area and serving very similar populations may be paid very different amounts of money per registered patient. The payments are being phased out over seven years, to allow practices time to adjust to the new arrangements. The funds released are being added to the ‘global sum’ – the basic payments made to all General Medical Services practices, which are based on numbers of patients and key determinants of practice workload, such as the age and health needs of patients. NHS England, which is responsible for commissioning primary care services, is committed to supporting the small number of practices that are significantly affected by the changes.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on investment trends in tertiary fertility services; and what guidance he offers to clinical commissioning groups proposing to decommission IVF services.

Nicola Blackwood: No such research has been undertaken. Provision of infertility treatment, as for all health services they commission, is decided by local clinical commissioning groups. They must have regard to the guidelines on the provision of NHS funded infertility services, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in October 2014 but they must also take into account the heath needs and priorities of the local population when determining the range and level of services they are able to provide. For that reason, provision of services will vary in response to local needs. Representatives from NHS England, the British Fertility Society and Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority are looking at how commissioning of in vitro fertilisation services could be improved.

General Practitioners: Mental Health Services

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP practices in England have access to a mental health worker to support patients.

David Mowat: This information is not held centrally. The General Practice Forward View, published in April 2016, announced a commitment to 5,000 doctors in general practice and a minimum of 5,000 other staff working in general practice by 2020-21. This will include investment in an extra 3,000 mental health therapists to work in primary care by 2020 to support localities to expand the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. This amounts to an average of a full time therapist for every 2-3 typical sized GP practices.

General Practitioners: Mental Health Services

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs in England are trained mental health specialists.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected by the Department.

Department of Health: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

David Mowat: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the United Kindom from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Department of Health and a wide range of other interested parties.

Locums

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of agency locums in each year from 2011-12 to 2015-16.

Mr Philip Dunne: Last year the Government introduced a series of tough financial controls to help the National Health Service tackle overspending on agency staff, including an hourly price cap. NHS Improvement has confirmed that the NHS saved £300 million in 2015-16, with further savings forecast.The information requested on costs of agency locums is not held centrally.

NHS: Part-time Employment

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2016 to Question 41738, what steps his Department is taking to encourage part-time clinical staff to move into full-time roles.

Mr Philip Dunne: When making decisions on flexible working including part time working, National Health Service employers need to take a long term whole career view. An increase in participation is best achieved by the offer of flexible working in an environment that encourages staff to increase their hours when it fits with their personal circumstances. Flexible working practices, including part-time working, have been adopted with widespread success across most professions in the NHS and are backed up by employment legislation including: the Employment Relations Act (Amendment 2005), the Employment Act (Amendment 2005); the Employment Act 2002: Flexible working, and the Work and Families Act 2006. The Department continues to support NHS Employers in their work on encouraging flexible working through tools, resources and the sharing of good practice available on their website: http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/managing-your-workforce/flexible-working

Cancer: Health Professions

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many oncologists are working for the NHS in each English region.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital collects data on the number of oncologists working in the National Health Service by Health Education England region. The latest information, which is for May 2016 is provided in the following table.



PQ44290 oncology table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.36 KB)

Cancer: Health Professions

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many oncologists specialising in brain tumours are working for the NHS in each English region.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital collects data on the number of oncologists working in the National Health Service by Health Education England region. However, this data is not broken down into how many of these oncologists specialise in brain tumours.

NHS: Working Hours

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made on proposals for NHS seven day services.

David Mowat: We have set the National Health Service the objective that, by the end of this Parliament, patients with urgent and emergency hospital care needs will have access to the same level of consultant review, diagnostic tests and treatment seven days a week. Hospitals will deliver this for 25% of the population by March 2017, 50% by March 2018 and everyone by 2020. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local health and care systems to ensure that seven-day services can be implemented affordably and sustainably, recognising that different solutions will be needed in different localities. The Government has also committed that by 2020 everyone will be able to access routine general practitioner (GP) appointments at evenings and weekends. To implement the Government’s commitment to transform GP access, £175 million has been invested in the GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. Across the two waves of the Access Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices, and over 18 million patients – a third of the population – have benefitted from improved access and transformational change at a local level.

Dentistry: Migrant Workers

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with the General Dental Council steps to address the disparity in acceptable scores on the International English Language Testing System achieved by dentists and dental hygienists and the scores accepted in such tests by the General Medical Council for doctors from outside the UK who are able to practise in the UK.

Mr Philip Dunne: Both the General Medical Council (GMC) and the General Dental Council (GDC) are able to apply a language test to international applicants wishing to practise in the United Kingdom. Proportionate language controls can also be applied by the GMC and GDC on all applicants from the European Economic Area wishing to practise in the UK to ensure that doctors and dentists have the necessary English language skills to practise safely in the UK. It is for the GMC and GDC as independent regulatory bodies to decide what constitutes an acceptable knowledge of English to practise safely in the UK including an acceptable score in the International English Language Test.

Eyesight: Surgery

Mrs Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure high quality care is provided in the refractive eye surgery sector.

Mr Philip Dunne: Providers of laser eye surgery are required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as this is a regulated activity. All providers of regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 must be registered with the CQC and meet the fundamental standards of safety and quality. The CQC has a range of enforcement actions that it can take if providers do not meet the fundamental standards. CQC inspectors take into account best practice and recognised guidelines, when undertaking inspections of providers. The Department is consulting on extending the scope of CQC’s provider ratings to include providers of laser eye surgery. Ratings will give the public with clarity about how well these providers are performing above and beyond compliance with the requirements of the regulations. Doctors performing laser eye surgery in the United Kingdom must also be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). All registered doctors are expected to be familiar with the GMC’s publication Good medical practice and supporting guidance, which describes what is expected of them. This document makes clear that medical doctors must recognise and work within the limits of their competence. Following a review of the cosmetic industry in England by Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, the GMC has produced guidance for doctors that carry out cosmetic procedures and this also applies to refractive eye surgery. The new GMC guidance covers both surgical (such as laser eye surgery) and non-surgical procedures. In addition, as the professional body for setting the standards of practice for refractive procedures, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists are leading on work to improve the delivery, safety and standards for patient information for laser eye surgery. The GMC expect a doctor to be up to date with the latest medical guidance, including any new guidance published by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists on laser eye surgery.

Care Quality Commission: Inspections

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of whether there should be an appeals and complaints process for healthcare providers or institutions which are dissatisfied with the accuracy of Care Quality Commission reports or decisions.

Mr Philip Dunne: There are processes already in place for challenging the accuracy of Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports and appealing CQC decisions. Prior to the publication of a CQC report there is a factual accuracy process where the provider is sent a draft copy of the report and has 10 working days to submit a response, including relevant evidence, which may challenge the content of a report. When the report is published the provider can ask for a review of rating, which may also be challenged by way of judicial review.Decisions taken by CQC which impact on the registration of a provider (such as cancellation, suspension or variation of the registration) are subject to the right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal under section 32 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Care Quality Commission: Legal Costs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the Care Quality Commission has spent on defending legal actions in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission provided the following information. The figures below relate to enforcement related legal spend, which will include costs relating to defending legal actions (including, for example, appeals to the First Tier Tribunal). It is not possible to disaggregate the costs of bringing and defending legal actions, and it is possible that the figures will include some advisory legal services which it has not been possible to identify and remove from the totals. YearValue2011-12£640,0942012-13£879,0362013-14£608,2452014-15£613,3642015-16£660,576

NHS: Expenditure

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of GDP has been spent on healthcare in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The table below shows United Kingdom public spend on health as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2011-12 to 2015-16. YearUK public health spend £ billionUK public spend on health as % of GDP2011-12121.37.4%2012-13124.37.4%2013-14129.47.4%2014-15134.17.3%2015-16138.77.4% Source: Table 4.2/Table 4.4 HMT Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2016 Latest available data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that the estimated 2015 UK spend on health, both public and private, is 9.8% of GDP which is higher that the OECD average of 9.0%.

Haematological Cancer

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason the decision was taken that NHS England will in future fund only one stem cell transplant for blood cancer patients; what estimate he has made of the number of patients who will be affected by that decision; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of that policy change on blood cancer survival rates.

David Mowat: The provision of second stem cell transplants was considered as part of NHS England’s annual prioritisation process by the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group (SCOG). Decisions by SCOG are based on recommendations made by Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) which uses a defined process to prioritise treatments based on a combination of cost and patient benefit. NHS England announced on 2 August that CPAG will re-run the prioritisation process to include proposals previously prioritised in levels 3, 4 and 5. The re-run of the prioritisation process is expected to take place later in the year. Until the process is completed clinicians, on behalf of their patients can continue to apply for funding for second transplant for relapsed disease where there is clinically exceptional or clinically critical need.

Food Poverty

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, entitled Voices of the hungry, published in April 2016, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) initiate regular annual monitoring of adult and child food insecurity in the UK and (b) determine a precise estimate on which to base action to reduce food poverty.

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, entitled Voices of the hungry, published in April 2016, whether tackling dietary inequality will be a focus of the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy.

Mr Philip Dunne: Food insecurity is a global problem which the United Nations (UN) agreed to confront at the World Food Summit in 1996 and has framed subsequent sustainable development goals. Getting accurate and informative data was the motivation for the ‘Voices of the Hungry’ project. This project has established an annual universal metric to measure lack of access to food and the severity of this in over 150 countries, and help inform UN policy. The Department for International Development has provided financial support to enable the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to take this forward.The United Kingdom is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and to the data the FAO commissions and manages. There are therefore no plans for the Department of Health to independently monitor food insecurity going forward, or determine a precise estimate on which to base action to reduce food poverty.The Government is committed to tackling childhood obesity and launched Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action on 18 August. A copy of the plan is attached and is also available at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546588/Childhood_obesity_2016__2__acc.pdf

Eating Disorders

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve coordination of bed allocation for adult in-patient treatment for patients with eating disorders.

Nicola Blackwood: The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health report published in February 2016 set out the start of a 10 year journey for the transformation of the National Health Service care and a shift towards prevention. The proposed mental health pathway and infrastructure development programme in the report envisages a referral to treatment pathway for eating disorders (adult mental health) being published in 2018/19. In the Autumn Statement 2014 increased funding of £150 million over the next five years was announced to improve services for children and young people with mental health problems in England. Particular emphasis was placed on improving services for people with eating disorders. As part of the planning processes, specialised commissioning teams review the needs of service for patients and where possible reflect provision. There is currently significant attention on eating disorders, primarily focussing on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service but this will extend to the adult pathway of care shortly with the expectation of revised National Institute for health and Care Excellence Guidelines in April 2017. A prime focus of the work on eating disorders is about the improved provision of out of hospital care so patients are only admitted to a bed when clinically required.

Mental Health Services

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) GP representatives, (b) primary care providers and (c) mental health organisations on the quality of mental health support provided in primary care.

David Mowat: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has prioritised improving mental health services in all care settings, and he and his ministerial team meet weekly with a wide range of mental health and primary care professionals to discuss improving the provision of care and support for people with mental health problems.

Mental Capacity

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons Best Interest Assessor training applications are restricted to (a) approved mental health professionals, (b) social workers, (c) nurses, (d) occupational therapists and (e) chartered psychologists.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department worked closely with stakeholders including representatives in Wales, primary care trusts, local authorities, hospitals and care homes, voluntary organisations and interested individuals whilst drafting the regulations that specify who can be trained as a Best Interest Assessor. Following consultation, it was decided that the professional training of these groups coupled with their Post-Qualifying experience made them best suited to undertake the training for Best Interest Assessors.

General Practitioners

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs in England have specialised in mental health.

David Mowat: This information is not held centrally.

General Practitioners

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mental health workers are attached to GP practices in England.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected by the Department.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2016, to Question 42888, how many clinical commissioning groups were rated as inadequate for 2015-16; and how many such inadequate ratings given in relation, at least in part, to poor IVF provision.

David Mowat: There were 26 clinical commissioning groups rated as inadequate for 2015-16. The ratings do not go into such a degree of granularity as to reference specific services or treatments (for example IVF provision).

Mental Capacity

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the financial cost to local authorities of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards for people who are placed in care homes or hospitals for their care or treatment.

David Mowat: The Department published an impact assessment on the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in 2008; it has made no further estimate. The Law Commission’s review of the safeguards, which has been commissioned by the Department, is expected to be published at the end of the year.

Obesity

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the (a) NHS, (b) social care sector and (c) economy of obesity in each of the last five years.

Nicola Blackwood: The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-07 NHS costs estimated that overweight and obesity cost the National Health Service in the United Kingdom £5.1 billion per year. This figure was uplifted to £6.1 billion in 2014-15 to take account of inflation. The Foresight team published Tackling Obesities: Future Choices in 2007. This estimated the annual costs of overweight and obesity to society and the economy as £27 billion in 2015, based on obesity prevalence at the time. More recently the McKinsey Global Institute estimated the cost of obesity to the UK economy as £46 billion per year. No further estimates have been made centrally. Copies of The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-07 NHS costs; Tackling Obesities: Future Choices; and the McKinsey Global Institute’s report Overcoming obesity: An initial economic analysis are available at: http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/05/11/pubmed.fdr033.full.pdf+html www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287937/07-1184x-tackling-obesities-future-choices-report.pdf www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/how-the-world-could-better-fight-obesity

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to respond to the policy briefing from the Royal College of Surgeons on English language testing of EEA healthcare professionals, dated 17 August 2016; and what plans he has to introduce clinical language tests for EEA healthcare professionals working in the UK.

Mr Philip Dunne: Changes to United Kingdom law introduced in April 2014 and March 2015, allow the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing Midwifery Council, General Dental Council (GDC), General Pharmaceutical Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland to carry out language controls for European Economic Area (EEA) doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Britain. The regulators are now able to apply proportionate language controls for EEA professionals before registration and admission onto the register ensuring that only those healthcare professionals who have the necessary knowledge of the English language to do their job in a safe and competent manner are able to practise in the UK. Under the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive (MRPQ) regulatory healthcare bodies, including the GMC and GDC, are required to recognise primary and specialist medical qualifications gained in an EEA healthcare professional’s home member state. The people of the UK have voted to leave the European Union, however until exit negotiations are concluded the UK remains a full member of the EU and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. This includes implementation of the MRPQ Directive. A number of concerns have been raised about the constraints that the Directive places on the ability of UK regulators of health professionals to carry out robust checks of both the clinical and language skills of medical professionals from the EEA seeking to practice in the UK. The Government shares these concerns and will review the checks that UK regulators are able to apply in light of the EU exit negotiations.

Strokes

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were admitted to hospital with a stroke in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of those patients were treated with mechanical thrombectomy.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mechanical thrombectomy procedures for the treatment of stroke patients were carried out in England in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Mowat: Information on mechanical thrombectomy is not centrally held, however we can provide information on thrombectomy (mechanical or otherwise), which is set out in the attached tables.



PQ44702  Cheryl Gillan thrombectomy
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.18 KB)




PQ44698  Cheryl Gillan thrombectomy
(Excel SpreadSheet, 21.58 KB)

Strokes: Medical Treatments

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will recommend mechanical thrombectomy for topic selection into the NICE technology appraisal programme.

Nicola Blackwood: There are no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop technology appraisal guidance on mechanical thrombectomy.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to tackle fraud relating to European Health Insurance Cards.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department takes any allegations of fraud and abuse seriously and works with the National Health Service on an on-going basis to detect and tackle any suspected fraud relating to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). We have introduced a raft of measures to tighten up systems and procedures, both for issuing EHICs and checking the subsequent claims made to the United Kingdom. These measures include requiring additional proof of entitlement, mandatory declaration and email verification processes. The Department is also undertaking a major system redesign project which aims to strengthen existing processes. Reducing further the potential for fraud and error is one of the key objectives of this work.

Strokes: Medical Treatments

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of skills within the NHS England workforce to deliver mechanical thrombectomy to stroke patients.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the infrastructure in the NHS to deliver mechanical thrombectomy to stroke patients.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to support the wider implementation of mechanical thrombectomy in the treatment of stroke.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) collects on the use of mechanical clot retrieval; if he will publish data from SSNAP on mechanical clot retrieval for the latest period in which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: NHS England’s National Clinical Director (NCD) for stroke is leading work to develop a full proposal which will consider the evidence and logistical issues involved in delivering mechanical thrombectomy to stroke patients across the country. This includes working with the relevant specialist societies, Royal Colleges and Health Education England to consider the workforce implications. Once the proposal has been developed, NHS England will decide whether the procedure should be made widely available. The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) is now collecting data on patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy and the latest data shows that 124 patients were treated between October 2015 and March 2016. It should be noted, however, that this may not reflect all patients treated as some may not have had their data entered into SSNAP.The SSNAP team is addressing this issue with the relevant clinicians. SSNAP data is freely available at:https://www.strokeaudit.org/

NHS: Finance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of GDP the Government plans to spend on health care in each of the next four years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Spend as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is stated on United Kingdom public expenditure figures and is produced by HM Treasury. The Department of Health is responsible for reporting on health spend in England and is not in a position to provide equivalent spend figures for health by the devolved administrations in future years. The Spending Review settlement, delivered by the Chancellor in November 2015, set the Department’s overall budget for the remaining years of the parliament and the level of funding that will be available to the National Health Service. It set absolute spending totals, not spending as a percentage of GDP, providing certainty for financial planning over the period, according to the plans set out by the NHS itself, in the 5 Year Forward View.

Care Quality Commission: Inspections

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is of a Care Quality Commission inspection for a (a) hospital trust, (b) care home, (c) nursing home, (d) GP surgery and (e) ambulance service.

Mr Philip Dunne: The largest area of the Care Quality Commission’s expenditure relates to inspection activity which was a total of £134 million in 2015-16. As part of the CQC’s work to explore its value for money, the CQC calculated an average cost for inspections across the year for each sector. The average cost per inspection provided by the CQC for the financial year 2015-16 is: - Hospitals: £107,500- Primary Medical Services: £6,600- Adult Social Care: £4,100 The CQC’s annual report, published on 21 July 2016, also sets out these costs per sector, per quarter, and the CQC is continuing to refine its costing of inspection activity. Inspection costs for ambulance services are unable to be provided within the timeframe of this Parliamentary Question.

General Practitioners

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the benefits of localised general practice federations.

David Mowat: The majority of general practitioner (GP) practices are now working in practice groups or federations. This provides opportunities to expand services, stabilise practice income and work at scale which has benefits for patients, practices and the wider system. These include: economies of scale; quality improvement; workforce development; enhanced care and new services; resilience; and system partnerships. The GP Access Fund specifically has enabled groups of GP practices, often collaborating with others such as community pharmacies or ambulance services, to provide new and expanded services together. Operating under a single contract in a local area and sharing work and resources has enabled the 2,500 practices in the programme to significantly develop their networks. Most of the GP Access Fund schemes have, through the programme, strengthened their arrangements for collaboration, developed a more prominent identity with patients, and grown their leadership and management capabilities. This has been facilitated by the support programme put in place by NHS England, helping the networks to make faster progress on issues such as IT, governance and care redesign. It has also built a legacy of more cohesive and capable teams for the future.

Sports

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the extent to which sport and group activities are prescribed by clinicians as a form of treatment.

Nicola Blackwood: This information is not held centrally by the Department.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2016 to Question 42629, how much investment in mental health services in the community his Department has made in each year since 2008; and how much investment his Department plans to invest in each year up to 2020.

Nicola Blackwood: The information is not available in the format requested.

General Practitioners

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has for the delivery of the General Practice Forward View.

David Mowat: The General Practice Forward View was published by NHS England on 21 April 2016 and is a package of measures to stabilise and support general practice.NHS England has established an external Oversight Group to oversee implementation of the General Practice Forward View. Its membership includes the British Medical Association (BMA), Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS Clinical Commissioners. The BMA has also established a reference group of local medical committees from across England to gain further input from general practitioners (GPs) and make sure the changes set out in the General Practice Forward View are realised. At its Board meeting on 28 July 2016, NHS England set out progress to date, including on delivery of a new practice resilience programme to help struggling practices, and a new Indemnity Support Scheme to alleviate the immediate pressure of rising costs for GPs from indemnity. Further details are available on NHS England’s website:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/item5-28-07-16.pdf

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Greenwich

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the role of Numis Securities is in the bidding process for the musculoskeletal service in Greenwich; what funding has been paid to that company relating to that role; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The procurement of local health services by means of competitive tendering is a matter for the local National Health Service. However, we are advised that NHS Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group has not had any involvement with Numis Securities during the process leading to the recent award to Circle Health of the contract for the provision of musculoskeletal services in Greenwich.

Life Expectancy: Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department is doing to narrow the 12 year difference in life expectancy between council wards in Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency.

Nicola Blackwood: Addressing health inequalities is a Government priority. This was clearly set out in the Prime Minister’s inaugural speech in July. Key to this message was the importance of addressing the gap in life expectancy. Achieving measurable and sustained reductions in health inequalities by 2020 and reducing the gaps in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are priority objectives in the Department’s Shared Delivery Plan: 2015 – 2020. Action is largely led locally to ensure that the solutions put in place reflect the needs of individual communities. To address the differences in life expectancy across Plymouth, Plymouth Clinical Commissioning Group and health services have introduced the ‘Thrive’ initiative. This aims to tackle the four lifestyle choices (inactivity, diet, alcohol consumption and smoking) that lead to respiratory diseases, cancer, stroke and heart disease. The work, currently in its second year, is the start of the long term drive to improve health and reduce inequalities in Plymouth. Health organisations such as Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Livewell Southwest and general practitioner Practices have signed up in support of the Thrive initiative. In order to ensure that health services are supporting those communities with the highest need, the ‘Success Regime’ has been introduced across Devon, which aims to protect and promote services for patients in local health and care systems that are struggling with financial or quality problems. Additionally, the Sustainability and Transformation Plan for Wider Devon includes a requirement to ensure that sustainable general practice is in place for all populations with equitable access times for routine and urgent treatment.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Greenwich

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department consulted local GPs and other health providers during the tendering process for musculoskeletal services in Greenwich; how his Department assessed the implications of the outcome of that process for the services provided by those people; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from local health practitioners in Greenwich on the musculoskeletal service in Greenwich; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assurances he has received from Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group that the £12 million saving promised by Circle Holdings plc as part of its successful bid for the contract to provide musculoskeletal services will not affect the quality of services to patients; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether the award to Circle Holdings plc of the contract to provide musculoskeletal services in Greenwich will affect the Sustainability Transformation Plan for two elective orthopaedic centres in London; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The procurement of local health services by means of competitive tendering is a matter for the local National Health Service. We are advised that NHS Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) undertook a review of the provision of musculoskeletal (MSK) services in the area in 2014, involving local general practitioners (GPs), secondary care clinicians, other MSK clinicians and patient groups. The CCG took account of this exercise in confirming its commissioning intentions for an integrated MSK service pathway. The CCG subsequently held a GP clinical commissioner-led provider engagement event on 2 March 2016 to seek feedback on the clinical service specification and the proposed contractual model.  We understand that, as part of the procurement process, the MSK Programme Board was fully apprised of the Our Healthier South East London initiative, the predecessor to the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) in respect of elective orthopaedic centres. We are advised that the Invitation to Tender (ITT) developed as part of the procurement exercise explicitly stated the aspirations of these two initiatives, in addition to the proposed implementation timeline. When submitting their bids, all prospective providers were required to confirm their understanding and acceptance of the planned new model of in-patient care. Patient choice continues to apply with regard to both this local procurement and the South East London STP proposals on elective care centres.  We understand that the ITT issued to potential service providers, was divided into sections, with each section allocated a weighting. The financial weighting was designed to ensure that the selection of the preferred provider was driven by clinical quality scores whilst remaining within the CCG’s published financial envelope. The detailed clinical service specification will be used to hold the provider to account within the format of the NHS national standard contract.  Health Ministers have not received any representations from local health practitioners in Greenwich with regard to the provision of MSK services in the area.

General Practitioners: Bristol

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase GP recruitment in South Bristol.

David Mowat: The Government has committed to increasing the primary and community care workforce by 10,000 by 2020, including an additional 5,000 doctors in general practice. NHS England advises it has invested £10million to kick start a range of initiatives to expand the general practitioner (GP) workforce, set out in a joint action plan developed with Health Education England (HEE), Royal College of General Practiioners and British Medical Association. Achievements to date include , a new national induction and refreshers scheme was launched in 2015. Further measures to boost the general practice workforce are set out in the General Practice Forward View, published by NHS England on 21 April 2016. HEE’s confirms it is working to maintain a high fill rate of Bristol’s programme for Postgraduate Training pre Certificate of Completion of Training and to continue to produce high calibre GPs leaving the Bristol Programme upon completion of their training. HEE advises it is doing this by:-― Continuing to offer high quality training placements throughout the Bristol region;― Promoting new initiatives such as the Global Health Programme and Leadership and Excellence Extensions of Training opportunities; and,― Maintaining existing Scholarship programme for trainees in their final year to gain extended skills in primary care.

Mental Health Services

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that examples of best practice in care and support for people with mental health conditions is shared across the country.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department works with its arm’s length bodies and a wide range of other Government departments and bodies, including non-statutory organisations and professional bodies to pilot, develop, implement and share best practice in the care and support for people with mental health conditions. Best practice is shared through the gov.uk website, through guidance and engagement with our stakeholders and collaboration with the organisations mentioned above to share best practice through their resources. The Department funds a wide-range of healthcare research including through the National Institute for Healthcare Research programme. Findings and outcomes from this research are published. Referral to treatment guidelines have been developed with the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, which include best practice examples. In addition, for Children and Young People, mental health investment has been made in clinical network capacity to bring local areas together to share current practice and there is regular interaction with the clinical networks, so good practice can be shared between regions. These guidelines are published on the National Collaborating Centre for Mental health’s website: http://www.nccmh.org.uk/ab_cgs_at_a_glance.html

NHS: ICT

Mr Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much to date the NHS has paid Fujitsu for the licensing, deployment and support of acute IT systems in the South of England.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department is currently in arbitration proceedings with Fujitsu and these are on-going and confidential and confidentiality is a specific contractual obligation upon parties to the proceedings. As the subject matter of the arbitration proceedings is a contractual dispute, the Department has significant commercial interest in ensuring that no internal information regarding these proceedings is placed in the public domain. The Department is therefore unable to provide this information as the disclosure may prejudice the commercial interests of the Department.

NHS: ICT

Mr Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much to date the NHS has paid BT for licensing, deployment and support of acute IT systems in London.

Nicola Blackwood: Information regarding payments made by National Health Service trusts to BT is not held centrally by the Department. The Department, to the end of financial year 2015-16, has paid BT £1.1 billion for services it delivered to acute and community and mental health trusts in London under the BT Local Service Provider contract. This contract has now closed.

Prescription Drugs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the Decision Support Unit commissioned by NICE, Assessing technologies that are not cost-effective at zero price, published in July 2014, what progress has been made on the appraisal of combination medicines; and how policy for dealing with such medicines has changed as a result of that report.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that it is actively exploring with colleagues in the pharmaceutical industry what policy responses could be developed to deal with the issues that have been raised.

Cancer: Drugs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have to report on the outcome of the process to consider the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Nicola Blackwood: A new approach to the appraisal and funding of cancer drugs in England, including a revised operating model for the Cancer Drugs Fund, came into force on 29 July 2016.This was subject to full public consultation and all of the documentation, together with a summary of the consultation responses, can be found at: www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/cdf-consultation Further information is available on NHS England’s website at: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cdf-sop.pdf

NHS: Pay

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent from the public purse on printing and postage of employees' payslips in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will take steps to ensure that NHS employees receive their payslips electronically.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department contracts for the NHS Electronic Staff Record system. This contract includes printing and despatch of employee payslips to a single distribution point at each National Health Service organisation in England at a total price of £1.9 million (data relates to the period September 2015 – August 2016). This price reduces by around 20% each year within the contract. The Electronic Staff Record solution already provides electronic payslip access via a facility called Employee Self Service.

Agency Nurses: Migrant Workers

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS is of using agency nurses from overseas.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Strokes: Medical Treatments

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he anticipates an increase in the uptake of medical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute stroke in NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has further to centralise the delivery of acute stroke services in metropolitan areas.

David Mowat: NHS England’s National Clinical Director (NCD) for stroke is leading work to develop a full proposal which will consider the evidence and logistical issues involved in delivering mechanical thrombectomy to stroke patients across the country. This includes working with the relevant specialist societies, Royal Colleges and Health Education England to consider the workforce implications. Once the proposal has been developed, NHS England will decide whether the procedure should be made widely available. To ensure there is equitable access to high quality hyper acute stroke care regardless of time of stroke or where a patient has their stroke, NHS England’s NCD for stroke continues to work with Clinical Networks, Urgent and Emergency Care Networks, clinical commissioning groups and the Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints on how stroke care is best delivered to their local communities. In some places, this is ‘the London type model’ of focussing care in a small number of centres and equipping these to be able to deliver specialist care 24/7. In other parts of the country, centralisation of care into specialist centres is not feasible for geographical reasons. In these cases, alternative solutions (such as the use of telemedicine) have to be considered. Whatever the scenario, NHS England is fully committed to ensuring that all patients receive the best quality of care and the most up to date treatments.

Babies

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many premature babies were born in (a) England and (b) each local authority in 2015.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information is not available in the format requested. The gestation length is not recorded on an individual birth record, but on the mother's delivery episode. Therefore we cannot provide the number of births, as a single delivery may involve multiple births.

Health: Research

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the funding gap between research spending on adult autism and other health conditions.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including adult autism. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the potential impact of the proposal on patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. Research currently funded by the NIHR includes a £0.8 million study entitled Supporting adults with high functioning autism and asperger syndrome: mapping and evaluating specialist autism team service models, and a £0.4 million study of guided self-help for depression in adults with autism spectrum disorders. The Department’s Policy Research Programme has recently funded a project which aimed to synthesise both research evidence relevant to low-level support for people with high functioning autism and information on current practice and service provision in England. This research was undertaken by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York and the Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University College London.

Autism

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has received a copy of the report by the Westminster Commission on Autism, entitled A Spectrum of Obstacles, published in July 2016; and what plans he has to implement that report's recommendations.

David Mowat: The Department welcomes the Westminster Commission report as a valuable addition to the autism debate. Departmental Officials met with the co-ordinator of the report in July to discuss the report and work is underway to consider the report’s recommendations.

Cerebral Palsy: Young People

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of making selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery available on the NHS for young people with cerebral palsy.

David Mowat: NHS England currently has in place a programme called Commissioning through Evaluation (CtE). This is designed to enable a limited number of patients to access treatments that are not funded by the National Health Service, but nonetheless show significant promise for the future, while new clinical and patient experience data are collected within a formal evaluation programme. The benefits of Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) procedures are currently being assessed through this scheme. The SDR CtE is supported in five designated hospital trusts across the country. There are two main phases for any treatments entered into NHS England's CtE programme. The first phase of the SDR CtE concluded in March 2016. During this phase a predetermined number of patients were recruited within a few selected centres across England and a formal evaluation programme was established. The second phase - the analysis phase - has now commenced. Once the CtE evaluation report is available, NHS England’s published policy for access to SDR will be reviewed. NHS England expects to receive an evaluation report in March 2017.

Obesity: Children

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons restrictions on advertising and promotional deals on unhealthy foods were not included in the Government's childhood obesity plan.

Nicola Blackwood: In developing the plan we have been very open about the fact we considered a number of different policies and have focused on the ones that are likely to have the biggest impact on childhood obesity. The policies in the plan are informed by the latest research and evidence, including from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report Carbohydrates and Health, Public Health England’s evidence package Sugar reduction: the evidence for action, other government departments, debates in this House and various reports from key stakeholders including the Health Select Committee. Evidence shows that current restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink in the United Kingdom are amongst the toughest in the world.

Neuromuscular Disorders: Mental Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the psychological support available for people with dystonia and other neurological conditions; and if he will take steps to improve the process of such support.

David Mowat: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services and has published a service specification for neurological care that sets out what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. Included in this is an expected availability of psychological support for people with movement disorders including dystonia. The specification can be found at the following link: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf

Obesity: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons his Department did not include the eight key actions, recommended by Public Health England in its report, Sugar reduction: the evidence for action, published in October 2015, in the Government's childhood obesity plan.

Nicola Blackwood: We launched Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action on 18 August. Our plan focuses on actions that are likely to have the biggest impact on childhood obesity. The policies in the plan are informed by the latest research and evidence, including from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report Carbohydrates and Health, Public Health England’s evidence package Sugar reduction: the evidence for action, other government departments, debates in this House and various reports from key stakeholders including the Health Select Committee.We are confident that the measures we have announced will make a real difference to obesity rates. Though we are clear in our goals and firm in the action we will take, the launch of this plan represents the start of a conversation, rather than the final word.

Hepatitis: Health Services

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which of the vanguard sites for the new care models programme under the NHS England Five Year Forward View have (a) considered Hepatitis C as part of their programme and (b) engaged with operational delivery networks for Hepatitis C.

David Mowat: The new care models programme and vanguards are focusing on developing new ways of working to improve the care provided to patients and local people. Vanguards consider a range of conditions relevant to their local populations as they develop and implement their plans. No vanguard specifically mentions hepatitis C in their plans for their new care model. However, the improvements made in many vanguards will be relevant to people with chronic conditions, including hepatitis C. In particular, the multispecialty community provider and integrated primary and acute care system vanguards are increasing the focus on prevention, long term conditions, providing more care in the community, preventing complications and admissions, and using the right technology to help patients manage their conditions. Furthermore, the Hepatitis C Coalition has launched a national partnership working with the Department, NHS England and other partners, to provide co-ordinated action to tackle ‘upstream’ issues in prevention, awareness, testing and referrals for hepatitis C.

Cancer: Drugs

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, to what extent NICE has involved external stakeholders and charities in reviewing how well the incremental cost effectiveness ratio is working in making new cancer medicines available to patients on the NHS.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that it has not been asked to review how well the application of the cost effectiveness methodology is working in making new cancer medicines available to patients on the National Health Service. NICE periodically reviews its methods and processes for the development of guidance to ensure that they remain appropriate. NICE most recently consulted on changes to its methods for the appraisal of new cancer medicines in November 2015 as part of the consultation on the new operating model for the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Diabetes: Lancashire

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are registered with diabetes in (a) Burnley constituency and (b) Lancashire.

Nicola Blackwood: Diagnosed diabetes prevalence in England is taken from the Quality and Outcomes Framework and represents all patients aged 17 and over who have been diagnosed with diabetes and included on General Practice (GP) registers. Data are available by GP practices, clinical commissioning group and for England. Estimated number of people with diabetes in Burnley and Lancashire* 2014NumberPrevalenceBurnley5,3927.0%Lancashire64,2126.7% * Diagnosed diabetes prevalence is not available by local authority and has been estimated by aggregating GP practice level data where the postcode of the main practice falls within the local authority boundary.Source: Quality and Outcomes Framework 2014/15. NHS Digital is the trading name of the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Mental Health Services: Standards

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS mental health trusts have been rated by the Care Quality Commission as (a) inadequate and (b) requiring improvement since the new rating system was introduced in April 2015.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission has rated 28 National Health Service mental health trusts as ‘Requires Improvement’ and one NHS mental health trust as ‘Inadequate’ under the new rating system.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what new investment NHS England has approved for the provision of additional Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and eating disorder beds since April 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England is operating a moratorium on the opening of new mental health beds in the areas of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and eating disorders; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: At present, annual expenditure on in-patient facilities for children and young people with mental health problems is £280 million this includes the expenditure on beds for those with children and young people who have eating disorders. In 2014, the Government provided £5 million in 2014/15 to open an additional 56 beds, bringing the total to 1,442. Whilst there is no moratorium on the opening of new mental health beds , NHS England is currently undertaking a re-procurement of all Children and Young People's Mental Health beds, so that services are commissioned which meet the needs of children and young people who require in-patient care and ensure that they are located appropriately. The major £1.4 billion programme of investment over five years to transform children’s mental health services will increase the opportunities for earlier intervention in the community. This investment includes £150 million over five years to develop community eating disorder services for children and young people in every area of the country, as the evidence indicates that those with eating disorders recover better with this model of care. NHS England will continue to work with clinical commissioning group commissioners to build integrated pathways of care that ensure that children and young people are only admitted to inpatient beds when it is clinically appropriate, and are discharged as soon as possible, with any appropriate follow-up care in place. For eating disorders, this will include the development of dedicated teams which will in time reduce the need for inpatient beds and shorten lengths of stay.

Mental Health Services: Mid Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many additional practice-based mental health therapists have been appointed to GP practices in Mid Sussex constituency since 2015-16.

David Mowat: NHS England advises that its south east regional team has not yet commissioned any additional practice-based mental health therapists in the Mid Sussex area. NHS England’s General Practice Forward View, published in April 2016, sets out a commitment to invest in an extra 3,000 mental health therapists to work in primary care by 2020-21, which is an average of a full-time therapist for every two to three typical sized general practitioner practice.

Diabetes: Nutrition

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the use of simple home-cooked food to reduce diabetes.

Nicola Blackwood: There have been no discussions with the royal colleges on the use of simple, home cooked food to reduce diabetes. Current dietary advice to people who have diabetes is the same as for the general population - that they should enjoy a healthy, balanced diet based on theeat well plate, the national healthy eating guide.

Children: Autism

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses there have been of autism among pre-school children in the last five years.

David Mowat: The National Health Service does not collect data on the number of children of pre-school age who have been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he next plans to meet the Chairman of the Southern Health Trust.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms of accountability his Department has used when working with the Southern Health Trust.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Chairman and Board of the Southern Health Trust on Katrina Percy.

Mr Jeremy Hunt: The previous Minister of State for Health, Alistair Burt, met with the interim Chairman of Southern Health Trust on 16 May and 7 June. There are no current plans for any further meetings. NHS Improvement oversees NHS trusts and foundation trusts, and is accountable to the Department for this work and its other functions.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Mr Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the provision of out-of-hours GP services.

David Mowat: In October 2015, NHS England published new Integrated Urgent Care Commissioning Standards, which set out how the public will benefit from a 24/7 integrated urgent care service through a single point of entry, including out-of-hours general practice services. The integrated services will be introduced in phases, to be fully in place across the whole country by 2020. Local clinical commissioning groups will be responsible for commissioning these services. The new Integrated Urgent Care Commissioning Standards will form the basis of new service specifications. NHS England is developing key performance indicators to support providers in delivering these services. The indicators will help to ensure that all patients receive the same standard of high quality urgent care services wherever they live in England.

Patients: Transport

Mr Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support is available for people who require transport assistance to reach out-of-hours GP services.

David Mowat: Out-of-hours general practitioner services are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups. Patient Transport Services (PTS) for NHS services are for local determination by commissioners, based on eligibility criteria: Eligible patients are those: - where the medical condition of the patient is such that they require the skills or support of PTS staff on/after the journey and/or where it would be detrimental to the patient’s condition or recovery if they were to travel by other means;- where the patient’s medical condition impacts on their mobility to such an extent that they would be unable to access healthcare and/or it would be detrimental to the patient’s condition or recovery to travel by other means; or- recognised as a parent or guardian where children are being conveyed.

Health Services

Mr Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what safeguards are in place to ensure that urgent care services are not overburdened where services are centralised.

Mr Philip Dunne: All service change should be led by local organisations and clinicians, and be in the best interests of patients. National Health Service commissioners and providers should work together, with local authorities, patients and the public, in bringing forward proposals that will improve the quality and sustainability of healthcare services.

Medical Certificates: Fees and Charges

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department or the NHS issues to GP practices on charging patients for a medical certificate demonstrating their fitness to take part in sporting events abroad.

David Mowat: General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for the National Health Service. Under the terms of their contract, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports or complete certain forms, such as those required to support a claim for incapacity benefit, free of charge to their registered patients. Outside of contractual requirements, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the GP providing these services. Whether or not to provide these services is a matter for individual GPs. They may decline to provide them or charge a fee for doing so. Where GPs intend to charge for services to patients, the British Medical Association advises them to forewarn patients, at the earliest opportunity, of the likely level of fees.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all Sustainability and Transformation Plans reflect the Government's commitment to parity of esteem between physical and mental health.

David Mowat: We continue to take mental health as seriously as physical health and to hold the National Health Service to account for achieving the objectives set out in the NHS Mandate. Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) are an opportunity to improve mental health services across the country, reversing historic underinvestment and integrating them with physical health services to achieve parity of esteem. STPs provide areas with an opportunity to think more holistically across mental and physical health, rather than just in a mental health ‘section’. The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health (MH5YFV) and Dementia Implementation Plan give the NHS a blueprint for realising improvements by 2020. STPs are the mechanism for putting this into action, changing service delivery for people by the end of the decade. The independent Mental Health Taskforce published its report in February 2016. The government welcomed the report and all 58 recommendations. The Department is working with its stakeholders to publish a detailed and robust action plan for taking forward the Taskforce’s recommendations, including how we will monitor progress and report this transparently. NHS England published its Implementation plan for the Five Year Forward View in July 2016. The implementation plan sets out common principles for local areas to follow and core elements of the programme including: children and young people’s mental health, perinatal mental health, adult mental health: common mental health problems, community, acute and crisis care and secure care, as well as wider areas such as health and justice, suicide prevention, new models of care, NHS workforce and infrastructure. STPs are the local solutions being utilised to implement, and realise the vision of the Five Year Forward View. STPs are multi-year, high-level and place-based plans. Local footprint areas have been asked to: ensure that they have a shared understanding of where they are in relation to the three gaps (health and wellbeing, care and quality, finance and efficiency) and where they need to be by 2020/21; and build on this to enable them to present an overall coherent strategy for their footprint and identify the priorities required to realise their vision. As such, the clinical, care and service priorities, and their proposals for putting these into practice, will not be the same for each footprint area. In line with the Government’s mandate to NHS England, improvements in the delivery of mental health care and care that is more joined up to meet people’s physical health, mental health and social care needs, will continue to be delivered through existing programmes, as one of the Secretary of State priorities.

Hepatitis

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, published in April 2016, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the elimination of viral hepatitis as a serious public health threat by 2030.

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the devolved administrations on the UK's commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis as a serious public health threat, made at the 69th World Health Assembly in May 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: The United Kingdom has a comprehensive surveillance system in place combining laboratory diagnoses data, risk/behaviour data, outcome data, statistical modelling and service evaluation to monitor the cascade of care, detect outbreaks, and generate burden estimates. The UK has a national programme of screening of blood donors and blood transfusions for blood-borne viruses, including hepatitis B and C, to ensure safe supplies – 100% of blood donors are screened with quality assured methods. There is national guidance and legislation around infection control in healthcare settings including a policy for healthcare workers to prevent nosocomial transmission of blood-borne viruses. Prevention efforts in minimising harm in people who inject drugs is focused on access to opiate substitution therapies and needle syringe exchange programmes, and disinfection tablets in prisons. Currently the UK has a selective immunisation policy for hepatitis B with a neonatal programme for those infants born to hepatitis B infected mothers, and vaccination of other high risk groups. Public Health England has had discussions about Hepatitis C metrics for the report “Hepatitis C in the UK 2016 report - Working towards its elimination as a major public health threat” which the DAs contributed to. The report is available at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/541317/Hepatitis_C_in_the_UK_2016_report.pdf

Liver Diseases

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects Public Health England to publish the National Liver Strategy Framework.

David Mowat: Public Health England (PHE) has a wide range of work to tackle liver disease. This includes monitoring deaths from liver disease and its risk factors, publishing Local Authority Liver Disease Profiles and updating the Atlas of Variation on Liver Disease. The Atlas of Variation will inform the development of the PHE Liver Disease Framework, therefore publication is likely to take place after the update is completed this winter.

Liver Diseases

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the annual cost of care is for a person with (a) decompensated cirrhosis of the liver and (b) hepatocellular carcinoma.

David Mowat: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the table below and is from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. Reference costs are published annually, with most recently available data being for 2014-15. Reference costs for acute care are collected by healthcare resource group (HRG), which are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments that consume similar levels of healthcare resource. HRGs are organised by chapters and sub-chapters, representing different body systems, and HRG sub-chapters GC and PG describe hepatobiliary and pancreatic system disorders for adults and children respectively. The average costs in the following table will therefore include the costs to NHS hospitals of treating decompensated cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as the costs of other related disorders. These costs do not include high cost drugs, or treatment in outpatient or other settings outside of hospital. They reflect the costs of a single episode of care under one consultant for a patient admitted to hospital for either elective or non-elective treatment. Patients admitted to hospital may have multiple episodes of care and each one of these episodes will be recorded separately. Total cost to NHS hospitals of treating hepatobiliary and pancreatic system disorders, 2014-15 Average cost per Finished Consultant Episode (£)Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders11,984Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders21,751Paediatric, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders32,344Source: Reference costs, Department of Health Notes:1. The following HRGs are included in the table:GC12C Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Multiple InterventionsGC12D Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 5+GC12E Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 2-4GC12F Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 0-1GC12G Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 6+GC12H Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 3-5GC12J Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 1-2GC12K Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 02. GC17A Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 9+GC17B Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 4-8GC17C Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 0-3GC17D Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 9+GC17E Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 4-8GC17F Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with Single Intervention, with CC Score 0-3GC17G Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 8+GC17H Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 5-7GC17J Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 2-4GC17K Non-Malignant, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, without Interventions, with CC Score 0-13. PG71A Paediatric, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with CC Score 2+PG71B Paediatric, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with CC Score 1PG71C Paediatric, Hepatobiliary or Pancreatic Disorders, with CC Score 04. These HRGs are common groupings of the ICD-10 codes used to count the number of finished admission episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma or decompensated cirrhosis. They also include other ICD-10 codes5. For each HRG or other currency in the reference cost collection, NHS hospital trusts submit a unit cost and amount of activity undertaken.

Diabetes: West Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in (a) Mid Sussex constituency and (b) West Sussex have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Nicola Blackwood: Diagnosed diabetes prevalence in England is taken from the Quality and Outcomes Framework and represents all patients aged 17 and over who have been diagnosed with diabetes and included on General Practice (GP) registers. Data are available by GP practices, clinical commissioning group and for England. Estimated number of people with diabetes in Mid Sussex and West Sussex* 2014NumberPrevalenceMid Sussex6,3515.2%West Sussex43,6566.2% * Diagnosed diabetes prevalence is not available by local authority and has been estimated by aggregating GP practice level data where the postcode of the main practice falls within the local authority boundary. Source: Quality and Outcomes Framework 2014/15. NHS Digital is the trading name of the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Nursing Associates

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of nursing associates.

Mr Philip Dunne: In May 2016, the Government confirmed proposals to introduce a new nursing support role, a Nursing Associate. Health Education England are in the process of establishing test sites to educate and train the new Nursing Associates, which will be confirmed in the autumn. Once the test sites are confirmed, Health Education England will recruit at least 1,000 Nursing Associates into training by the end of 2016.

Autism

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of GPs' awareness of the symptoms of autism.

David Mowat: NHS England expects clinicians to use their professional judgement with patients presenting with particular symptoms and to keep up to date with current developments and treatments. The Department has provided financial support to the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs) to improve understanding of autism amongst GPs. As a result, in May each GP surgery in England received an autism resource pack to improve GPs and their teams’ awareness of autism and to help make their surgeries more visibly friendly for people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Patients: Transport

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency plans his Department has in place to ensure that Patient Transport Services in Sussex continue in the event of any failure of the current contractual model involving High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group, Coperforma and arms length driver operatives; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: NHS England advises that High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has plans in place to ensure continuity of service and the first priority of the recently-appointed specialist transport advisor is to look at the resilience of the contract and explore options to strengthen this further.NHS England also advises the CCG is continuing to work with Coperforma to ensure improved performance to date is maintained and to address any outstanding issues.

NHS England: Disclosure of Information

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what NHS England's policy is on keeping whistleblowers informed of the status of ongoing investigations.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England has provided the following response. Where a whistleblower raises a concern with NHS England and provides contact details, it is anticipated that NHS England’s investigator will have contact with the whistleblower throughout any subsequent investigation into the concerns raised. This is done to ensure that the investigator manages the expectations of the individual who raised the concern and provide information on the action being taken. Where NHS England employees raise concerns with NHS England internally under the ‘Voicing your concerns for staff (Whistleblowing) Policy and Procedure’, NHS England keeps those employees informed of the status of ongoing investigations.

NHS Protect: Contracts

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which companies hold the contracts for NHS Protect and related counter-fraud investigations; what the value of those contracts is; and how much revenue those contracts produce in recouped funds and fines.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Protect is the National Health Service body responsible for co-ordinating anti-crime work in the NHS in England. Contracts for the delivery of counter fraud services at a local level are negotiated by individual NHS bodies and information on these is not held centrally. The latest performance information on both NHS Protect and Local Counter Fraud Specialists is available in the NHS Protect Annual Report 2015-16 at: http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/Documents/CounterFraud/Annual_Report2015-16.pdf

Prisoners: Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prisoners spent more than six weeks in prison in-patient units for (a) mental and (b) physical health conditions in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: This information is not collected centrally by NHS England.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

European Research Council: Scotland

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on devolving power to the Scottish Government to seek on behalf of Scottish institutions continued participation in the European Research Council after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The nature of the relationship between UK institutions and the European Research Council will be a matter for future discussions. The Government is determined to ensure that the UK continues to play a leading role in European and international research and innovation and is committed to working with the Scottish Government and the other devolved administrations to achieve this aim.

EU Grants and Loans

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions the Government has had with EU member state representatives on Horizon 2020 grant applications continuing to be evaluated on merit alone during the period for which the UK remains a member of the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The application process for Horizon 2020 is administered by the European Commission. UK participants can continue to bid for competitive Horizon 2020 EU research funding while we remain a member of the EU. We will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Treasury will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. This applies to all UK participants with direct agreements with the Commission who meet the terms of the grant.The Commission has made it clear that proposals from, or including, UK applicants must be treated in the same way as applications from other Member States while the UK remains a member of the EU.

Diabetes: Research

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on the award of Innovate UK Smart funding for Type 1 diabetes research of the outcome of the EU referendum.

Joseph Johnson: Innovate UK has simplified the way it provides support to innovative businesses - through a new sector focus with two broad competitions in each sector per year. It also runs open programmes available to all businesses irrespective of the technology or sector in which they operate. Innovate UK’s first such competition opened in June 2016 and applications are now being processed. In the last 5 years, through the former Smart programme, Innovate UK committed around £553,000 into research for Type 1 diabetes, although technologies have also been supported which relate to the management and prevention of Type 2 diabetes. The outcome of the EU referendum is not expected to impact on the delivery of these programmes.

UK Defence Solutions Centre: Finance

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much (a) government and (b) industry funding the UK Defence Solutions Centre received in the financial year 2015-16; and how much such funding is projected for 2016-17.

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many staff were employed by the (a) Defence Growth Partnership and (b) UK Defence Solutions Centre on 1 April 2016.

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to (a) government and (b) industry of the Defence Growth Partnership (i) was in 2014-15, (ii) was in 2015-16 and (iii) is for 2016-17.

Jesse Norman: The Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) is an industry led group, established jointly by industry and government to deliver export-led growth within the Defence sector. It does not receive any public funding. Since 2014, it has enabled joint industry and government resource equivalent to £50 million over three years to achieve its agenda: £30 million for strengthening the UK Defence & Security Organisation and establishing the UK Defence Solutions Centre (UKDSC). The remaining £20 million is currently delivered through a number of initiatives supporting the DGP’s growth agenda: establishment of the Centre of Maritime Intelligent Systems (CMIS); Dual Use Technology Exploitation (DUTE) cluster and the MOD Innovation Challenge fund.Government and industry have committed through a mix of cash and resource equivalent to £3.8m in 2015-16 to the UKDSC and a similar figure is predicted for 2016-17. As of 1 April 2016, there were 4 staff directly employed by the UKDSC and 28 secondees from across the 16 DGP Partner Companies.

Climate Change

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many officials in his Department are working on climate change policy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Department leads on the Government’s clear commitment to tackle climate change. Many teams deliver against multiple cross cutting objectivesConsequently, it is not possible to give an exact figure of the number of staff involved in this work. However, the Government has been clear in the need to meet our remission reduction targets while keeping our energy supply secure and low cost.

Radioactive Waste

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress has been made on the accelerated decommissioning programme for nuclear waste in the UK.

Jesse Norman: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA’s) strategy was last updated and published in April of 2016. Progress is monitored in the NDA’s annual report and accounts, supplemented with quarterly progress reports on its business plan, as well as regular updates for priority programmes and major projects. All these documents are available on the NDA’s website. Some of the highlights include good progress on priority projects, such as regular retrieval of waste from legacy facilities at Sellafield, removal of all spent nuclear fuel from the Oldbury nuclear power station and the ongoing defueling of the nuclear power station at Wylfa on Anglesey following its closure in December 2015.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the remaining total cost to the public purse will be of construction at Hinkley Point C should that project receive approval.

Jesse Norman: Under the terms of the contract, which has yet to be entered into, the remaining total cost to the public purse for the construction at Hinkley Point C would be borne entirely by the developer, who would bear all the construction risk. If construction comes in under budget then any savings above a threshold would be shared with consumers, but if there are overspends then the developer would bear any additional costs.

Maternity Leave

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the period of maternity leave for mothers of premature babies.

Margot James: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children: Obesity

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what role his Department played in drafting the Government's childhood obesity plan.

Margot James: I refer the Rt hon Member to the reply I gave to Question UIN 44973.

Renewable Energy

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the renewables industry in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the UK.

Jesse Norman: We remain committed to making Britain the best place in Europe to own and grow a business. That includes supporting those businesses that trade with the EU and the wider international markets, as well as continuing to encourage record foreign direct investment which supports business and communities up and down the country. Through our industrial strategy we will continue to put power in the hands of local communities to drive economic growth working in partnership with local business and civic leaders – to deliver an economy that works for all.

Radioactive Waste

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to improve security measures at sites containing nuclear waste.

Jesse Norman: Security of nuclear waste is a high priority for the Government, and the Office for Nuclear Regulation provides independent assurance that materials are kept safely and securely. The spending review settlement for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority also supports continuing investment in security infrastructure. However the Government does not comment on security measures at nuclear sites.

Energy

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the speech of the then Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on 18 November 2015, on a new direction for UK energy policy, when the terms of reference of the review into coal will be published; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The continued use of unabated coal for power generation is not consistent with our policy of decarbonising the economy. The role of coal for electricity generation has declined rapidly in the last couple of years due to the success of the Government’s policies to penalise emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants and encourage investment in lower carbon alternatives.

Qualifications: EU Law

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on retaining the EU's professional qualifications directive after the UK has left the EU.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Innovate UK: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps Innovate UK has taken in the last 12 months to assist businesses in Northern Ireland build sustainable economic growth.

Joseph Johnson: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sellafield: Safety

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Sellafield Ltd on safety performance at Sellafield.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Solar Power

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of UK energy use which will be from domestic solar production in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sellafield: Safety

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of compliance of operations at Sellafield with regulatory safety standards.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Office for Nuclear Regulation

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of safety standards set by the Office of Nuclear Regulation.

Jesse Norman: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Fire and Rescue Service: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how net pay deductions from the salaries of Ministry of Defence fire fighters and fire officers are calculated.

Mark Lancaster: The Net Pay Deduction (NPD) for Fire Officer grades, or abatement in the case of Fire-fighters, is the adjustment to the salaries of DFRS personnel to allow for the differences between their pension arrangements and those of Local Authority Fire and Rescue Service (LAFRS) employees. Ministry of Defence (MOD) Fire-fighter and Fire Officer grades are members of the Civil Service Pension Schemes and the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS), whereas LAFRS staff belong to Local Authority Fire Pension Schemes (LAFPS).The MOD Fire-fighter abatement is a single blended abatement figure based on a weighted comparison of member contributions rates between the PCSPS and the LAFPS. The abatement calculation makes allowance for the impact on the value of pension benefits which arises because the MOD Fire-fighter pension is based on an abated salary. The calculation of the abatement ignores differences in pension benefits between the schemes being compared.The pay abatement level for Fire-fighters is calculated on behalf of the MOD by the Government Actuary Department (GAD). The current abatement of 7.1% is being reviewed by GAD to take account of the introduction of the new Civil Service Pension Scheme on 1 April 2015 and the Local Authority Fire-fighters Pension Scheme 2015.For Fire Officer Grades the NPD has been calculated primarily by considering the differences in member contribution rates between the different pension schemes. The current NPD was implemented in 1993 and according to available information the calculation ignores differences in pension benefits accrued between the schemes but may have taken account of wider pay issues. The current NPD is 5.9% of pre-tax basic pay. In practice, an adjusted NPD, equal to 3.54% of pre-tax pay, is applied to Fire Officer salaries. This does not reduce the tax payable by the officer. For Fire Officers the NPD does not affect the salary used for pension purposes, so both pension benefits and member contributions are calculated based on salary before application of the NPD.The MOD is currently reviewing the rate of the NPD for Fire Officer grades.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse of reviewing the level of net pay deductions from the salaries of Ministry of Defence fire fighters and fire officers was in each year since 2008-09.

Mark Lancaster: The cost to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for work commissioned from the Government Actuary Department (GAD) to review the abatement and Net Pay Deduction level for MOD Fire-fighters and Fire Officers since 2009 is £139,000 plus VAT. This figure represents costs for wider advice provided by GAD on Pension issues for Defence Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) personnel and is not specifically related to abatement reviews. It has not been possible to itemise the costs in the time available, and neither has it been possible in the time available to confirm costs in 2008.

HMS Ambush

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what arrangements will be made to provide submarine operational cover while HMS Ambush in undergoing repairs; and what risks have been identified as a result of those arrangements.

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how long HMS Ambush is expected to remain out of service while repairs are being conducted; and where that repair work will be carried out.

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the circumstances were of the collision involving HMS Ambush near Gibraltar on 20 July 2016; and whether there will be a board of inquiry investigation into that incident.

Harriett Baldwin: It is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to submarine activity or operations as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.HMS AMBUSH is undergoing repairs at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde, the duration of which is under review.On 28 July 2016, the Director General of the Defence Safety Authority convened an independent Service Inquiry to investigate the circumstances of this incident. It would be inappropriate to comment further while this investigation is on-going.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total amount of pay deducted from the salaries of Ministry of Defence fire fighter and fire officer grades through net pay deductions was in each year since 2008-09.

Mark Lancaster: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Fire and Rescue Service: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the net pay deductions from the salaries of Ministry of Defence fire fighters and fire officers reflect the full difference in the value of pension benefits accrued compared with staff of similar grades working for local authorities.

Mark Lancaster: The Net Pay Deduction (NPD) for Fire Officer grades, or abatement in the case of Fire-fighters, is the adjustment to the salaries of Defence Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) personnel to allow for the differences between their pension arrangements and those of Local Authority Fire and Rescue Service ("LAFRS") employees.For Fire-fighter grades the abatement figure is a comparison of member contribution rates between the Civil Service Pension Schemes and the Local Authority Fire Pension Schemes. The abatement calculation makes allowance for the impact on the value of pension benefits which arises because MOD Fire-fighters pensions are based on an abated salary. The calculation of the abatement ignores differences in pension benefits accrued between the schemes being compared.For Fire Officer Grades the NPD has been calculated primarily by considering the differences in member contribution rates between the different pension schemes.The current NPD is 5.9% of pre-tax basic pay. In practice, an adjusted NPD, equal to 3.54% of pre-tax pay, is applied to Fire Officer salaries; this does not reduce the tax payable by the officer. For Fire Officers the NPD does not affect the salary used for pension purposes, so both pension benefits and member contributions are calculated based on salary before application of the NPD. The current NPD rate was introduced in 1993 and according to available information the calculation of the NPD ignores differences in pension benefits accrued between the schemes but may have taken account of wider pay issues.

Ministry of Defence: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times his Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Harriett Baldwin: Detailed information about the work undertaken in individual contracts could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The table below shows the number of times the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has used the services of PwC, Deloitte, Ernst and Young and KPMG and the total expenditure for each financial year. Vendor NameNumber of Contracts2013-14 Payments2014-15 Payments2015-16 PaymentsPRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP20£12,291,493£10,495,047£17,459,400DELOITTE LLP44£22,239,558£12,325,152£12,342,592DELOITTE MCS LIMITED12£6,142,266£6,792,413£2,675,673ERNST & YOUNG LLP10£17,258,841£16,996,746£18,786,874KPMG LLP24£25,284,417£38,350,698£33,175,164Total110£83,216,575£84,960,056£84,439,703  Although the MOD can identify its direct expenditure with individual companies it does not specifically record centrally if the company is a consultancy firm. It is therefore not possible to identify (e) other consulting firms without being provided with a list of specific companies. Non-consulting companies can also provide consultancy services to the MOD as part of a larger contract.

Ministry of Defence: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Mike Penning: The Department for Exiting the EU has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this, it is working very closely with other Government departments, including the Ministry of Defence, and a wide range of other interested parties.

Islamic State: Military Intervention

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Hellfire missiles have been used in Syria and Iraq to date as part of Operation SHADER; and what the cost of the use of those weapons has been to the public purse.

Mike Penning: Between November 2014 and the end of August 2016 there have been 473 Hellfire missiles used in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation SHADER. The estimated cost of the use of these missiles is £44.455 million.

Iraq: Humanitarian Aid

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost was of the operation (a) in August and September 2014 in which RAF Hercules dropped food and other humanitarian supplies to civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar, Iraq and (b) on 30 and 31 August 2014 in which two RAF Hercules dropped food and aid to the town of Amerli, near Kirkuk.

Mike Penning: The cost of the operation to deliver food and other humanitarian supplies to civilians trapped on Mt Sinjar and Amerli in Iraq was £3.50 million. £1.97 million of this was charged to Department for International Development on a marginal cost basis and £1.5 million was covered by Operation SHADER. The costs cannot be split between individual locations as both used common air assets that were deployed under Operation SHADER.

Married Quarters

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many married quarter void properties are situated on each military base in the UK.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence does not hold the information in the format requested.

Married Quarters

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2016 to Question 38976, on married quarters, what assessment his Department has made of the habitability of the 10,187 void properties.

Mark Lancaster: The Department continually assesses the condition and thus the habitability of its housing stock, including void properties.With the introduction of the Combined Accommodation Assessment System (CAAS) on 1 April 2016, all Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in the UK were subject to a physical survey and/or extrapolation from like properties on the same estate. Void properties were assessed as part of the survey programme.For void properties, 92% were assessed as being at Decent Homes Standard (DHS) and 8% below. In line with the commitment given in the Armed Forces Covenant, SFA below DHS will not be allocated to incoming Service families. For families living in properties below the DHS they will be offered to move to a different property where we can.Overall 83% SFA exceed the Decent Homes Standard.

Nuclear Weapons: Transport

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times nuclear convoys travelled through (a) Glasgow East constituency, (b) the City of Glasgow and (c) Scotland from May 2015 to September 2016.

Mike Penning: The Ministry of Defence keeps defence nuclear material convoy movements to the minimum necessary to maintain the operational effectiveness of the UK's nuclear deterrent. I am withholding information on the frequency and routes used by the convoys for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Northern Ireland Universities Air Squadron

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Northern Ireland University Air Squadron has reached its capacity of student places planned when it was set up.

Mark Lancaster: Of the 24 student places available, 14 are currently filled.

Royal Naval Reserve

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the strength was of the Royal Navy Reserve in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Lancaster: The trained and untrained strength of the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) from 1 April 2012 onwards is provided in the table below.  April 2012April 2013April 2014April 2015April 2016July 2016Total1,9601,9802,1302,3702,5902,590 Trained1,3601,3701,4401,5001,7401,770Untrained600610690870850820  In accordance with Departmental policy, figures are rounded to the nearest10 – totals may not always equal the sum of their rounded parts. Reserve Forces personnel records were not fully migrated onto the Joint Personnel Administration system until October 2012. Prior to this time data was produced from single Service systems, which are unable to be replicated or verified. Therefore, further breakdowns to the published statistics at the following link are not available: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140116142443/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/military/reserves-and-cadets-strengths

Type 45 Destroyers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what works took place on the engines of the Type 45 Destroyers while they were collectively docked during the summer of 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: The planned maintenance periods in 2016 for all Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyers have included work on the propulsion systems.

Type 45 Destroyers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of the Type 45 Destroyers are (a) available for operations, (b) being used for training, (c) preparing to deploy and (d) being refitted.

Harriett Baldwin: All ships rotate through planned operating cycles involving maintenance, training, deployment, leave and upgrades. This results in individual ships being at various levels of readiness to deploy, safeguarding the continuous ability of these technologically advanced ships and the highly skilled personnel to deploy in support of Government policies. The following table provides the current programming of each Type 45 Destroyer. ShipCurrent programmingHMS DARINGDeployed (on route) to Middle EastHMS DAUNTLESSTrainingHMS DIAMONDDeployed to MediterraneanHMS DEFENDEREntering a maintenance periodHMS DRAGONAdaptive Force EscortHMS DUNCANMaintenance prior to deployment

Navy: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many sailors have been recruited to the Royal Navy in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: The number of Royal Navy personnel (excluding Royal Marines) recruited in each of the last five financial years is as follows: 2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Officers240240250320340Ratings1,2501,4301,9301,8901,920Total Intake1,4901,6702,1702,2102,250In accordance with Departmental policy figures are rounded to the nearest 10 - totals may not always equal the sum of their rounded parts.

Royal Naval Reserve

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to expand the Royal Naval Reserve.

Mark Lancaster: The plan to expand the Maritime Reserve is set down in Future Reserves 2020, published on the Government website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210470/Cm8655-web_FINAL.pdf

Armed Forces: Training

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure serving Scottish soldiers' qualifications are recognised by civilian contractors when they wish to undertake trade training while stationed in England.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence, Scottish Ministers and Skills Development Scotland have made representations on this issue previously to the responsible department, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. The issue is being discussed with Department for Education, who now have responsibility for apprenticeships.

Defence: Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the strategic military importance of Gibraltar to the UK.

Mike Penning: The UK continually monitors our defence presence in Gibraltar and routinely adjusts our force posture and resources as appropriate. Gibraltar is, and will remain a key centre for the UK's Defence interests and the UK Government takes its responsibility for protecting the sovereignty of Gibraltar very seriously. The UK maintains a permanent military presence in Gibraltar in recognition of its enduring geo-strategic importance as the gateway to the Mediterranean, assuring maritime transit routes and maintaining access to Cyprus and the Suez Canal in support of UK national interests.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraphs 5.36 to 5.38 of the Cabinet Manual, what the Government's policy is on whether the convention that a debate in Parliament should be held before troops are committed in military action applies if troops are deployed in a non-combat role but then subsequently become involved in sustained and proactive combat activities as a result of a change in circumstances or a change in mission.

Michael Fallon: The Government has been clear that before troops are committed, the House of Commons should have an opportunity to debate the matter except when there was an emergency and such action would not be appropriate. We will continue to ensure that Parliament is kept informed of significant major operations and deployments of the Armed Forces. In observing the convention, we must ensure that the ability of our Armed Forces to act quickly and decisively, and to maintain the security of their operations, is not compromised.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the SME status of suppliers awarded new contracts by his Department has not been assessed by Dun and Bradstreet since 2014; and if he will commission an independent assessment of the SME status of all suppliers awarded contracts by his Department in 2015-16.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's Finance and Economics Annual Bulletin: Trade, Industry and Contracts 2016, published on 25 August 2016, what information his Department holds on the SME status of the suppliers who were awarded contracts in 2015-16 but whose SME status was not assessed by Dun and Bradstreet on behalf of his Department.

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's Finance and Economics Annual Bulletin: Trade, Industry and Contracts 2016, published on 25 August 2016, what estimate he has made of the total (a) number and (b) value of contracts placed by his Department with SMEs in 2015-16, including the 435 contracts placed with suppliers whose SME status was not assessed by Dun and Bradstreet.

Harriett Baldwin: In 2015-16, the Ministry of Defence placed 320 new contracts with suppliers that were assessed through the Dun and Bradstreet process as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These had a total value of around £206 million. A further 435 contracts, with a total value of around £8,748 million, were placed with suppliers whose SME status has not currently been assessed by Dun and Bradstreet. The Crown Commercial Service contract that identifies and assesses the SME status of suppliers through the Dun and Bradstreet process expired in 2014. As a result, while we hold management information about our expenditure with all contracted suppliers, we do not currently hold accurate information on the SME status of the 435 contracted suppliers that have not been assessed by Dun and Bradstreet. Discussions are under way with the Crown Commercial Service and across Government to re-introduce this service, with a view to retrospective assessments being completed. This means that the above figures are provisional and subject to change.

Ministry of Defence: Lovell Partnership Homes

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department's contract with Lovell Partnerships announced on 10 January 2016 is for purposes other than the building of new homes for soldiers.

Mark Lancaster: No contract was awarded to Lovell Partnerships in 2016. A contract was awarded in 2014, with the core purpose of constructing Service Family Accommodation in Stafford.

Military Bases

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 6 September 2016, on Defence Estate Rationalisation, HCWS133, how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are based at each site.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is provided in the following table: SITEMILITARY CIVILIAN PERSONNELRAF HENLOW (BEDFORDSHIRE)350322MIDDLEWICK RANGES (ESSEX)00AMPORT HOUSE (ANDOVER)430LAND AT HARLEY HILL (CATTERICK)00CHALGROVE AIRFIELD (OXFORD)00COLERNE AIRFIELD (CHIPPENHAM)975AZIMGHUR BARRACKS (CHIPPENHAM)42737PRINCE WILLIAM OF GLOUCESTER BARRACKS (GRANTHAM)928108LAND AT OLD DALBY (MELTON MOWBRAY)00VENNING BARRACKS (TELFORD)215 – across both sites114 – across both sitesPARSONS BARRACKS (DONNINGTON)SOUTHWICK PARK (FAREHAM)277108ROYAL MARINES STONEHOUSE (PLYMOUTH)67372

Defence: Expenditure

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has made to his NATO counterparts on meeting their commitment to spend at least two per cent of GDP on defence.

Michael Fallon: The UK is proud to be one of five NATO countries that meet the Defence Investment Pledge (DIP) to spend 2% of GDP on Defence. I am pleased with the progress the Alliance has made in reversing the trend in cuts to Defence spending. I reviewed progress with NATO Allies at the Warsaw Summit last July, by which time 16 Allies had increased Defence spending, and eight had committed to reaching the 2% guideline in national plans. Progress will continue to be monitored through regular NATO Defence Ministerial meetings.

Army: Disclosure of Information

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the most recent version of The Army List has been published in error on his Department's website; whether that list includes details of service personnel ranking below one-star level; and what steps he is taking to improve the online security of personal details of serving members of the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: The most recent publication of the Army List was published in accordance with processes in place at the time, which included officers below the rank of Brigadier.The security of our people is our foremost concern and we keep the range of measures we have to address the threats to them under constant review. A revised policy was introduced in November 2015 restricting publications of such lists to senior officers, already considered in the public eye. The Army List 2016 will be published in accordance with the revised policy. The previous Service Lists published on the Gov.UK website have now been removed

Armed Forces: Deployment

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the range of international operations being undertaken by the armed forces.

Mike Penning: British Forces are involved in more than 25 operations in over 20 countries. Backed by our rising Defence budget we are investing in the people and capabilities to ensure we continue to play a global role in order to keep our country safe.

NATO

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, What the Government's commitments are to fulfil its obligations under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.

Michael Fallon: The principle of Article 5 – collective defence – is at the heart of NATO’s founding treaty. It is an enduring principle that binds NATO’s members together, and it is this unity that deters our adversaries. The United Kingdom is fully committed to fulfilling the duty placed on us by Article 5, as we have repeatedly demonstrated through our substantial and continued commitment in Afghanistan, and contributions to NATO’s Enhanced Response Forces, air policing missions, and standing naval forces.

Armed Forces: Gliding

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the future of volunteer gliding schools in Wales.

Mark Lancaster: I am fully supportive of Air Cadets having access to opportunities for gliding. To achieve this we require a laydown of Volunteer Gliding Squadrons that meet the needs of all of our Cadets. However, we continue to consider if there are viable site options in Wales which can be explored further, and I am due to meet with my hon. Friend shortly to discuss this matter.

NATO: Eastern Europe

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on delivering the UK's contribution to NATO's enhanced forward presence in eastern Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The UK will be the Framework Nation for NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia. Detailed planning is now underway with NATO and our Estonian hosts, and with the Governments of France and Denmark, who have indicated that they will deploy forces alongside us. As agreed at the Warsaw Summit, our enhance Forward Presence forces will deploy in Spring 2017.

Kinloss Barracks

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether it is his policy to keep open the Kinloss army barracks.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is continuing to review our estate to ensure it is smaller and more sustainable, this will allow us to focus on delivering future Defence capability and has enabled the investment in sites such as Lossiemouth and Faslane. Whilst no decision has been made on the future of Kinloss Barracks, Scotland will continue to be a vital home for our Armed Forces. However Scotland, like the rest of the UK, must expect some sites to close as well as investment in these other locations.

AWE: Safety

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve nuclear safety at the Atomic Weapons Establishment to ensure that it no longer requires enhanced regulatory attention from the Office of Nuclear Regulation.

Harriett Baldwin: The Office for Nuclear Regulation has stated that safety at the Atomic Weapons Establishment remains acceptable. The enhanced regulatory attention relates to issues which do not pose any immediate safety concerns and the regulator is satisfied that work is well advanced to address these. The Ministry of Defence works closely with AWE, monitoring all aspects of its performance, including regulatory compliance.

SSAFA

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent representations he has received on the work of SSAFA, the armed forces charity.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has excellent relations with SSAFA and maintains regular contact with them; including through the Service Charities Partnership Board, which I will be attending on 18 October. I have received SSAFA’s recent report on Veterans welfare and I am considering the recommendations provided.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance his Department provides to local authorities to help tackle (a) homelessness and (b) the root causes of homelessness.

Mr Marcus Jones: One person without a home is one too many. That is why the Government is clear that prevention must be at the heart of everything we do to tackle homelessness. We will be investing £500 million in work to prevent and relieve homelessness across this Parliament. This includes protecting homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, which will amount to £315 million by 2019-20, to help them continue to provide quality advice and assistance to everyone who approaches them for help. Since 2010, local authorities have helped prevent or relieve over one million cases of homelessness.Homelessness is rarely a housing issue alone. The causes are varied and driven by issues such as health, education, justice, welfare, and employment. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million, including a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs. This builds on the success of the world’s first homelessness Social Impact Bond, run by the Greater London Authority to turn round the lives around of 830 of London’s most entrenched rough sleepers. Over half have achieved accommodation, employment or reconnection outcomes.In addition we have invested £15 million to improve outcomes for young people through the Fair Chance Fund. This funding is turning around the lives of around 1,900 18 to 25 year olds with complex and overlapping needs, by supporting them into accommodation, education, training and employment.

Green Belt: Dorset

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19679, how much land in East Dorset District Council area is designated as green belt.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 19683, how much land in Purbeck District Council area is designated as green belt.

Gavin Barwell: Figures for the amount of land designated as Green Belt in each local authority area as at 31 March 2016 are included in Annex Table 1 of the department’s Green Belt Statistics 2015/16, published 8 September 2016. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-green-belt-statistics-for-england-2015-to-2016.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2016 to Question 43423, on housing: construction, if he will publish statistics for net new dwellings in England for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 comparable to those published for subsequent years.

Gavin Barwell: The number of net additional dwellings in England, since 2000-01 are published in Table 1 of the Net Supply of Housing 2014-15 statistical release, available at this link:  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/net-supply-of-housing-in-england-2014-to-2015  An estimate of the number of net additional dwellings in England, from 1997-98 to 1999-2000 can be derived by calculating the annual change in the total dwelling stock, using published figures in Dwelling Stock live table 104, available at the following link:  https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants

Tenants: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much central government funding has been (a) made available for tenant training in each of the last 10 years and (b) allocated, or he plans to make available, for tenant training in (i) 2016 and (ii) each subsequent year of the current Parliament.

Gavin Barwell: We do not hold data on central government funding for tenant training prior to financial year 2009/2010. Since 2010/11 Government has funded the National Communities Resource Centre (NCRC), the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) and Tribal Education. Funding as follows: Tribal Education2010/11: £256,600 National Communities Resource Centre2010/11: £350,0002011/12: £136,4922012/13: £267,3502013/14: £131,1592014/15: £285,1002015/16: £90,000 Tenant Participation Advisory Service2011/12: £170,0002013/14: £668,7002014/15: £518,3102015/16: £160,000 A decision has not yet been made regarding funding for this and future years.

Housing Associations: Tower Hamlets

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government was involved in the legal agreement drawn up in 1998 to transfer the estates involved in the Tower Hamlets Housing Action Trust to Old Ford Housing Association.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice provided to the Housing Minister prior to authorisation of the stock transfer of the Parkside estates to Old Ford Housing Association.

Gavin Barwell: We do not know whether Government was involved in drafting the legal agreement itself – this could only be determined at disproportionate cost – but the Government was involved in the development of, and preparatory work leading to, the transfer to Old Ford Housing Association.

Social Services: Warwickshire

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has given to support children and young adults in social care in (a) Warwickshire and (b) Rugby constituency in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Mr Marcus Jones: We do not provide funding specifically for children and adults in social care. Local authorities were provided with formula grant in the period 2010-11 to 2012-13, and Revenue Support Grant from 2013-14 onwards, both of which are unringfenced and it is a matter for local discretion how this is spent.

Local Authorities: Non-domestic Rates

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities to support business growth and economic development within their areas ahead of them fully retaining business rates.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is committed to reforming the local government finance system to make local authorities more self-sufficient, including by allowing them to retain locally-raised business rates. This will ensure that authorities benefit from business rates growth providing them with an important incentive to support and develop their local economies. The reforms including the nature of the incentives to boost growth are subject to an ongoing consultation.

British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support local authorities can provide to British families returning to the UK after a long period living abroad.

Gavin Barwell: Above the statutory duties which they must fulfil, local authorities can provide families and individuals with what additional support they judge appropriate.

Planning Permission

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to (a) reduce delays in minor planning applications and (b) increase the number of homes built by local building firms.

Gavin Barwell: In the Budget, the Government announced £3 billion of loans to house builders. The fund will consist of £2 billion in long term loans and £1 billion in short term loans. The long term element is focused on delivering infrastructure to support a strong future pipeline of housing supply, and will help unlock 160,000 – 200,000 homes. The short term element aims to diversify and support innovation in the house building industry by supporting small and medium builders, custom builders, and the use of innovative methods of construction.In July, the Government launched the £100 million Housing Growth Fund, a partnership between the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Lloyds Banking Group to help smaller builders access the finance they need to build more homes and grow their businesses. The Fund is a £100 million vehicle capitalised by Lloyds and the HCA and is supporting the growth of SME house builders and expansion in the UK housing stock. The Government has also created the British Business Bank which has facilitated £782 million of new lending and investment in 2013/14 and aims to unlock up to £10 billion of financing for smaller business over the next 5 years.Small builders will soon be able to apply to their local planning authority for ‘permission in principle’ which will enable them to gain more upfront certainty on the suitability of small sites for housing-led development, before they need to develop detailed and often costly development proposals. This will reduce the risk for small local builders to enter the market.Through the Neighbourhood Planning Bill introduced on 7 September, the Government proposes to reform and speed up the planning process by minimising delays caused by unnecessary or overly burdensome planning conditions. The Bill measures will ensure that pre-commencement planning conditions are only used by local planning authorities where they are absolutely necessary, and that applicants are in agreement before they are imposed.The Government took powers in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to enable us to extend to non-major planning applications the successful performance regime for major applications, which has seen the proportion of major applications determined on time rising from 57% in July to September 2012, the quarter in which the performance regime was first announced, to 82% in the most recent quarter, the highest figure on record.

Non-domestic Rates

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to encourage local authorities to include information about the New Enterprise Allowance, Small Business Rate Relief and Disability Confident with the business rate summaries sent to businesses.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government has no plans to encourage local authorities to include information about the New Enterprise Allowance and Disability Confident with business rates demand notices. Demand Notices are the statutory means by which local authorities inform non-domestic ratepayers of their rate liability for the year ahead. The demand notice also provides useful information about rate bills.Small Business Rate Relief information is directly related to business rates and is already included on demand notices.

Social Services: Children and Young People

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding per head his Department has given to support children and young adults in social care in (a) St Helens North, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK in each year since 2010.

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much funding his Department has given to support children and young adults in social care in (a) St Helens North, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK in each year since 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 08 September 2016



We do not provide funding specifically for children and adults in social care. Local authorities were provided with formula grant in the period 2010-11 to 2012-13, and Revenue Support Grant from 2013-14 onwards, both of which are unringfenced and it is a matter for local discretion how this is spent.

Supported Housing: Finance

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with supported housing providers on future funding for that sector; and when the Government plans to announce the outcome of its review on the funding of that sector.

Gavin Barwell: My Department has had extensive discussions over the last few months with commissioners, providers and representatives of supported housing tenants.The Government will make an announcement in the autumn setting out its plans for the future funding arrangements for the supported housing sector.It will also set out our plans for working with the sector and other key stakeholders to ensure the safe transition to the new model.

Mayors

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the Government's policy is on requiring local authorities to adopt elected mayors as part of further proposals for the devolution of powers to local areas.

Andrew Percy: Holding answer received on 12 September 2016



The Government will continue to work closely with local areas and remains open to discussion on any devolution proposals that include strong, accountable governance and clear accountability, including the adoption of elected mayors.

Supported Housing: West Midlands

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many tenants in (a) Birmingham, Erdington constituency and (b) the West Midlands live in supported housing owned by social landlords.

Gavin Barwell: The department does not centrally hold information on the numbers on tenants in supported housing. The Homes and Communities Agency does publish information on the total stock of supported housing units in its statistical data return which is publically available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistical-data-return-statistical-releases

Solar Power: Non-domestic Rates

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has made to the Valuation Office Agency on the effect of planned business rate increases for solar power on the solar industry.

Mr Marcus Jones: Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We will look closely at the impacts of the forthcoming revaluation and consult on how to make sure the right support is in place for businesses to adjust to any changes.

Homelessness: North West

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce homelessness in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency and (b) the North West.

Mr Marcus Jones: One person without a home is one too many. That is why the Government is clear that prevention must be at the heart of everything we do to tackle homelessness. We have protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, which will amount to £315 million by 2020, to help them provide quality advice and assistance to everyone who approaches them for help.We have also increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million, including a new £10 million fund to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, and a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs.As well as this, we will be launching an additional £100 million programme for low-cost move on accommodation, including for rough sleepers leaving hostels.Specifically, Local Solutions delivers DCLG’s Fair Chance Fund in Liverpool and Knowsley, a £1.3 million payment by results scheme supporting around 140 homeless 18-25 year olds into accommodation, learning, volunteering and work, and there are similar projects elsewhere in the North West.

Planning Permission

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to streamline planning procedures for smaller developments.

Gavin Barwell: Small builders will soon be able to apply to their local planning authority for ‘permission in principle’ which will enable them to gain more upfront certainty on the suitability of small sites for housing-led development, before they need to develop detailed and often costly development proposals. This will reduce the risk for small local builders to enter the market.Through the Neighbourhood Planning Bill introduced on 7 September, the Government proposes to reform and speed up the planning process by minimising delays caused by unnecessary or overly burdensome planning conditions. The Bill measures will ensure that pre-commencement planning conditions are only used by local planning authorities where they are absolutely necessary, and that applicants are in agreement before they are imposed.The Government took powers in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to enable us to extend to non-major planning applications the successful performance regime for major applications, which has seen the proportion of major applications determined on time rising from 57% in July to September 2012, the quarter in which the performance regime was first announced, to 82% in the most recent quarter, the highest figure on record.

Housing: Disability

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the number of properties available on the Home Ownership for People with Long-term Disabilities scheme; what monitoring his Department has undertaken of the adequacy of supply of those properties; and if he will make a statement.

Gavin Barwell: The HOLD scheme is designed to help people with long term disabilities, who cannot otherwise do so, access the Government’s affordable home ownership programme. It is a voluntary scheme for providers and is funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) according to demand. Data from the HCA indicates that 20 homes were sold under HOLD in 2015/16. However, due to the way sales are reported by providers this number may not include all such sales.

Homelessness: Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on tackling the level of mental health issues among homeless people.

Mr Marcus Jones: Sleeping rough is rarely the result of a personal housing crisis alone and we know that many rough sleepers and homeless people have complex needs, such as mental health difficulties, which result in poor life chances.In 2010 we formed the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness in order to bring departments, including the Department of Health, together to identify action needed to prevent and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. This group continues to meet to discuss issues such as mental health.Alongside this my officials are working closely with officials within the Department of Health to ensure collaboration on tackling mental health issues for homeless people. At Budget 2016 that we announced that we are developing a new £10 million national Social Impact Bond programme, to help homeless people with complex needs, including mental health difficulties, off the streets and out of homelessness.I am working with the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP, and his department on this very important issue.

Schools: Solar Power

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received from schools with solar panel installations on the proposed change in business rates for such installations from 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: Business rates are based on valuations from the Valuation Office Agency and we do not intervene in their independent assessments. We will look closely at the impacts of the forthcoming revaluation and consult on how to make sure the right support is in place for ratepayers to adjust to any changes.

HM Treasury

Company Accounts: Multinational Companies

Patrick Grady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of country-by-country reporting regulations on the competitiveness of the UK economy.

Jane Ellison: The Government has consistently pushed for broad international agreement on public country-by-country reporting. This will ensure that public country-by-country reporting achieves its transparency objectives of requiring multinationals to disclose information on their activities, profits and taxes paid across the full range of countries in which they operate.

Tax Allowances: Landlords

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of private landlords who will be affected by the tax relief change to higher rate taxpayers announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent changes to mortgage interest relief on the private-rented sector in relation to (a) average rents, (b) availability of private sector accommodation, (c) housing benefit levels and (d) quality of rental properties.

Jane Ellison: HMRC estimate that 1 in 5 landlords will pay more tax as a result of this measure. Given that only a small proportion of the housing market is affected by this change, the Government does not expect these changes to have a large impact on rent levels or house prices. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) also expects the impact on the housing market will be small. The Government will double the housing budget from 2018-19 and has set out the most ambitious affordable housing plan since the 1970s to support working people in their aim to own their own home, together the measures in the plan amount to over £20 billion of investment in housing between 2016-17 and 2020-21. The level of housing benefits is dependent on a number of factors such as, household and individual circumstances in regards to employment and household income, inflation and rents. The Government does not expect a large impact on rent levels from this policy, and any impact would be dampened in the short term due to other policy decisions. Therefore, the government does not anticipate changes to the overall level of housing benefits as a result. Nevertheless, the government will continue to monitor rental levels charged in the private rented sector. Landlords are required to maintain their properties to a legal minimum standard. The reform to the wear and tear allowance means that all landlords will now be able to offset the costs of replacing furnishings in their properties removing the previous disincentive to do so. The Government therefore does not think that the changes to the tax rules will reduce standards for tenants. Some landlords may face difficult decisions regarding their properties. This is why the Government has chosen to act in a proportionate and gradual way. Basic rate income tax relief will still be available on a landlord’s finance costs, the restriction will not be introduced until April 2017 and then it will be phased in over 4 years. This gives landlords time to plan ahead of the changes.

Widowed Parents Allowance

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many widowed parents and bereaved cohabiting parents will be financially worse off as a result of the planned changes to the widowed parent's allowance.

Mr David Gauke: The new Bereavement Support Payment will be introduced from April 2017 for new claimants only. Existing claimants of Widowed Parent's Allowance and Bereavement Allowance will remain on those benefits for the lifetime of their awards, so there will be no impact on them or their families.

Air Passenger Duty: Manchester Airport

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate how much air passenger duty was paid by passengers using Manchester Airport in each year since 2011.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs does not collect information on air passenger duty (APD) revenues by airport as APD is payable by airlines and not on a per airport basis.

Excise Duties: Greater Manchester

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate how much fuel duty was collected by filling stations in Greater Manchester in each year since 2011.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect fuel duty from filling stations. Fuel duty is paid on hydrocarbon oil when it is released for consumption in the UK, either from a UK refinery or an excise warehouse. HMRC therefore does not collect the data to produce a reliable estimate. Fuel duty receipts for the whole of the UK are published by HMRC, and are available in the Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin:https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx

Investment Trusts: Property

Julian Knight: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to monitor and regulate the liquidity ratio on property funds.

Simon Kirby: The monitoring and regulation of property funds is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority. Action by the government and the Bank of England over the last six years has substantially strengthened the resilience of the financial system.

Bank Services: Interest Rates

Calum Kerr: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of large banking institutions charging negative interest rates on the small business sector.

Simon Kirby: The interest rates banks charge on their products is a commercial decision for them. The Government is aware that RBS and NatWest have written to businesses stating that a negative base rate may lead them to introduce negative interest rates, but they have not actually done so as yet. The base rate is set by the Bank of England’s independent Monetary Policy Committee, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer welcomed the decision of the Committee to use monetary policy to support the economy through this period of adjustment. As recent figures on jobs and growth have shown, we enter this period of adjustment from a position of economic strength.

Job Creation: Urban Areas

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2016 to Question 42179, what plans he has to support the creation of high quality and high paying jobs in city regions.

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the findings of the Centre for Cities report, entitled 10 years of tax, published on 7 July 2016, what steps his Department has taken since 2010 to address regional variations in tax generation.

Mr David Gauke: We have gone further than any other government in devolving significant powers and funding from central government to city regions through devolution deals - which will result in high quality jobs, local growth, and reduce regional variations in tax generation. We are breaking with decades of centralisation, handing real powers away from Whitehall and closer to local people. The government has made several commitments which will boost high quality job creation across the regions. £200m has been committed to Transport for the North, strategic investments have been made in science (including £235m for the Sir Henry Royce Institute in Manchester,) Hull has been backed as the 2017 City of Culture, and we are creating a Midlands Engine Investment Fund of over £250m.

Treasury: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps his Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Mr David Gauke: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including HM Treasury, and a wide range of other interested parties.

Credit: Unsolicited Goods and Services

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward proposals to ban the promotion of high-risk credit products through unsolicited direct marketing mail and telephone calls.

Simon Kirby: The Government has, as part of its action plan to address nuisance calls, made it easier for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to take action against nuisance callers. The Government has removed the legal threshold requiring the ICO to prove a firm has caused ‘substantial damage or substantial distress’, and increased the level of fine available to punish rogue companies. The Financial Conduct Authority is also committed to ensuring that cold calling by phone, text or email makes clear the identity of the firm, and the purpose of the communication, so the consumer can decide whether to proceed. Such promotions are also required to include a representative example or APR. Regulated firms must comply with data protection and Telephone and Mail Preference Service requirements. In addition, the FCA has committed to review its rules on unsolicited marketing calls, emails and text messages from consumer credit firms, including payday lenders. The review will include specifically looking at whether these unsolicited communications should be banned, given the potential for causing significant distress to consumers. The FCA will publish the outcome of that review by the end of the year.

Credit: Nuisance Calls

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress has been made by the Financial Conduct Authority in its review of nuisance calls relating to consumer credit.

Simon Kirby: The FCA has committed to review its rules on unsolicited marketing calls, emails and text messages from consumer credit firms, including payday lenders. The review includes specifically looking at whether these unsolicited communications should be banned. The FCA will publish the results of this review before the end of this year.

Individual Savings Accounts: First Time Buyers

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to amend the Lifetime ISA proposal so that the 25 per cent government bonus can be used towards a deposit on a first home.

Jane Ellison: As is usual with new financial products, the Government continues to work closely with industry on the finer details of the policy, including on the operation of withdrawals for first house purchase. Ministers will provide a statement on the position in due course.

Financial Services: Incentives

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effects of performance bonuses on short-termism in the financial sector.

Simon Kirby: The UK is at the forefront of global efforts to tackle unacceptable pay practices in the banking sector and has the toughest regime on pay of any major financial centre. Firms are now required to have policies in place to defer, reduce, cancel or clawback bonuses in the event that poor performance or misconduct comes to light and the Government expects firms to be proactive in their application of these policies. The Government’s efforts have resulted in a restructuring of pay including a significant reduction in cash bonuses, and a better alignment of risk and reward in the financial sector.

Double Taxation: Crown Dependencies

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2016 to Question 42891, on double taxation: crown dependencies, for what reasons the Government has entered negotiations for a full revision of the treaties with Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.

Jane Ellison: Our double taxation treaties with Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man (the Crown Dependencies) date from the 1950s and although we have updated them in part on several occasions many of the provisions are now out of date. The OECD Model Tax Convention is the starting point for the UK’s tax treaties. This model has undergone many revisions in recent years, most recently in 2014, with further changes to be incorporated arising from the OECD base erosion and profit shifting project. These negotiations will give us the opportunity of incorporating many of these revisions. HM Revenue and Customs officials began talks with the Crown Dependencies in April this year and will be meeting again with them soon to continue discussions.

Treasury: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs has used the services of (i) PwC, (ii) Deloitte, (iii) Ernst and Young, (iv) KPMG and (v) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (A) work was undertaken and (B) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Simon Kirby: HMTThe department always seeks to use internal resources whenever possible in order to fulfill its objectives, and procure external expertise only after internal and a civil service-wide recruitment exercise has been exhausted.The cost to the public purse for using PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG for the last three financial years can be found in the tables below: SupplierYearSpendErnst & Young LLP2013-14185,715.00 2014-1596,000.002015-16160,000.00  SupplierYearSpendDeloitte LLP2013-14233,692.00 2014-1565,500.002015-16287,338.00SupplierYearSpendDeloitte MCS Ltd2013-1486,461.00 2014-15105,674.002015-160 SupplierYearSpendPwC2013-14135,418.00 2014-1502015-16101,755.00 SupplierYearSpendKPMG LLP2013-140 2014-15585,600.002015-1634,429.00 As part of the government’s transparency agenda launched in 2010, the department publishes on a monthly basis, the amount spent on consultancy. However, it is only the amount spent, not the suppliers which is published. The time taken to collate spend with other suppliers for the requested time period could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The number of times used and the work undertaken by our consultants could also only be provided at disproportionate cost. HMRC HMRC do not maintain a central record of individual assignments therefore data is not available except at disproportionate cost. However HMRC can provide the annual spend with these companies for the last 3 financial years. It should be noted that this spend will cover a wide range of services. Supplier2013-142014-152015-16DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU£1,566,218£1,557,065£599,286PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS£591,360£449,908£216,885ERNST & YOUNG GLOBAL LIMITED£18£664,537£34,150KPMG INTERNATIONAL£133,991£177,665£0

European Regional Development Fund

Daniel Zeichner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's press release of 13 August 2016, Chancellor Philip Hammond guarantees EU funding beyond date UK leaves the EU, how the future allocation of European Regional Development Fund funding will be assessed.

Mr David Gauke: The European Regional Development Fund is one of a number of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs). The relevant information on ESIFs can be found in my letter of 12 August to the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. This letter is attached and can be found on the Gov.uk website, alongside the Treasury press notice.

Fiscal Policy and Taxation

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the concluding observations and recommendations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the UK's sixth periodic report in relation to fiscal policy, corporate tax, inheritance tax and domestic and global tax abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: In paragraph 73 of the UN recommendations, the UN requested that the UK submits its next period report under the Covenant (inclusive of a response to all the recommendations from this year’s examination) by 30 June 2021; it would therefore not be appropriate to pre-empt this report by anticipating what we, or indeed a future UK Government in 2021, might say. The government is committed to a competitive and fair tax system and to tackling tax evasion and avoidance by multinational companies. The UK has played a leading role in the development and implementation of the G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project, which is aimed at ensuring that tax is paid on profits in the country in which they are generated. On tax evasion, the UK has also led on the development of the new global standard for the automatic exchange of information between countries on offshore accounts. All of the UK’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have signed up to this new Common Reporting Standard and will begin exchanging information with the UK this month.

Community Amateur Sports Clubs Scheme

Justin Tomlinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to reduce the tax burden on amateur sports clubs in order to promote healthy lifestyles and build on the Olympic legacy.

Jane Ellison: The Government provides a range of tax reliefs to amateur sports clubs through the Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) regime. This recognises the invaluable role sports clubs play within their communities. The regime is a key part of the Government's support for community sports clubs and the part they can play in consolidating our Olympic legacy, helping to encourage participation in a range of eligible sports and inspiring the champions of the future. Sports clubs registered as CASCs benefit from a range of tax reliefs, including mandatory 80% business rates relief and Gift Aid on qualifying donations. In April 2015, following extensive consultation with stakeholders, a number of changes were made to the CASC scheme to strengthen the support it provides whilst ensuring that this support is correctly targeted. These changes were designed to help even more clubs to join and benefit from the scheme, encouraging many thousands of participants in a wide range of sporting activities.

Revenue and Customs: East Kilbride

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 4 May 2016 to Question 35744, when his Department plans to carry out an impact assessment on the local economy of East Kilbride in addition to the People Impact Assessments that have already been conducted.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on identifying suitable properties for the relocation of its offices to Glasgow; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) location decisions were based on a number of key principles to enable it to deliver more for less. This included retention of its current staff and skills and local and national transport links. It does not plan to carry out an impact assessment on the local economy of East Kilbride in addition to the People Impact Assessments that have already been conducted. HMRC is considering a number of sites at each regional centre location, including Glasgow. More details will be available when commercial negotiations have finished.

Corporation Tax

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the level of UK corporation tax on tax revenues in (a) developing and (b) other countries.

Jane Ellison: The Government is committed to a competitive and fair tax system, one that encourages innovation and business investment and taxes the profits of economic activity that occur in the UK. That is why the UK used its G8 presidency to build support for the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Project (BEPS), which is about tackling tax avoidance by multinationals through updating the international tax rules, and is delivering many of its recommendations in a package of measures announced at Budget 2016. The UK has led international efforts to help developing countries tackle evasion and avoidance. Through the G20 we have commissioned the international organisations to develop toolkits to assist developing countries to implement the BEPS outcomes, as well as funding assistance to help developing country tax authorities tackle multinational tax avoidance.

Developing Countries: Taxation

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK's tax treaties with developing countries on tax revenue in the UK.

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to assess the effect of the UK's tax treaties with developing countries on tax revenue in those countries.

Jane Ellison: By governing the taxation of cross-border income flows in a predictable manner and eliminating double taxation and excessive taxation, tax treaties promote international trade and investment, leading to sustainable tax revenues, which are vital in financing for development. However, as my predecessor and Rt Hon Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire has stated in response to similar questions, given the long timescales, complex and shifting interactions with domestic law, large and unpredictable behavioural effects and the lack of a sensible comparator, it is not possible to produce meaningful estimates of the revenue effects of double taxation agreements, and successive Governments have never attempted it.

Taxation: Treaties

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will conduct a spillover analysis to examine the international effects of UK tax policy of a similar character to those undertaken by the governments of the Netherlands and Ireland.

Jane Ellison: The government has no current plans to conduct a spillover analysis, which it does not believe would be a useful exercise. The government is committed to a competitive and fair tax system, and has led international efforts to tackle tax evasion and avoidance while supporting developing countries to implement tax reforms. Through the G20 we have commissioned the international organisations to develop toolkits to assist developing countries to implement the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) outcomes as well as funding assistance to help developing country tax authorities tackle multinational tax avoidance. The UK is a founder member of the Addis Tax Initiative, which commits the UK to double its Overseas Development Assistance spend on tax capacity building by 2020 and to work to make international tax reform more accessible to developing countries.

Income Tax

Justin Tomlinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in (a) North Swindon constituency and (b) the UK have (i) had a reduction in the income tax they pay and (ii) been taken out of paying income tax since 2010.

Jane Ellison: By 2015-16 increases in the personal allowance since 2010-11 are estimated to have reduced the income tax liability of 27.9 million individuals in the UK and taken 3.97 million out of tax. The corresponding figures for the South West, which includes the Parliamentary Constituency of North Swindon, are 2.4 million and 344,000 respectively. These estimates are based on the 2013-14 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2015-16 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2016 economic and fiscal outlook. HM Treasury does not publish this information at constituency level.

Revenue and Customs: Concentrix

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Benefits and Credits, Error and Fraud Adding Capacity 444 contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited and HM Revenue and Customs, if he will publish the reports completed at the end of each Measurement Period on key performance indicators and standard performance indicators since that contract commenced.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of current tax credit cases that are not being dealt with within the target timescale agreed with Concentrix.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) average and (b) maximum waiting time for telephone calls to be answered by Concentrix has been since the start of his Department's contract with that company.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to exercise Clause B5 of his Department's contract with Concentrix and extend the length of that contract beyond its current expiry date.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Benefits and Credits, Errors and Fraud Adding Capacity 444 contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited and HM Revenue and Customs, how many mandatory appeals have been received from recipients relating to decisions by the contractor in each financial year since the commencement of that contract.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Benefits and Credits, Error and Fraud Adding Capacity 444 contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited and HM Revenue and Customs, what estimate he has made of the total savings in annual managed expenditure in each financial year since the commencement of that contract.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Benefits and Credits, Errors and Fraud Adding Capacity 444 contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), if he will publish the guidance and procedures for communication between HMRC and Concentrix.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken to reinstate tax credits after an erroneous cancellation by the contractor since the start of his Department's contract with Concentrix.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of recipients of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit whose payments have been erroneously stopped in each year from 2010 to date.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Benefits and Credits, Error and Fraud Adding Capacity 444 contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited and HM Revenue and Customs, what the standard length of notice under that contract is for providing evidence to the contractor of tax credit fraud and error cases.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Benefits and Credits, Errors and Fraud Adding Capacity 444 contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited and HM Revenue and Customs, how many times the (a) contractor and (b) Authority has reinstated tax credits after an initial cancellation.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Benefits and Credits, Error and Fraud Adding Capacity 444 contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited and HM Revenue and Customs, what assessment he has made of compliance by the contractor with the 75-day target for dealing with high risk change of circumstances interventions; and if he will make a statement.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the HM Revenue and Customs Benefits and Credits, Error and Fraud Adding Capacity 444 contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited and HM Revenue and Customs, how many (a) amber green performance failures, (b) amber performance failures, (c) red performance failures and (d) black performance failures have been incurred by the contractor.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) value of fines and penalties incurred by SYNNEX-Concentrix under its contract with HM Revenue and Customs relating to error and fraud.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to exercise Clause E6 on extension of the initial contract period of HM Revenue and Customs' contract with SYNNEX-Concentrix relating to error and fraud after 5 May 2017.

Louise Haigh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2016 to Question 44669, how many tax credit (a) awards have been considered and (b) error or fraud cases have been identified and corrected since the beginning of the contract between SYNNEX Concentrix and HM Revenue and Customs.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and SYNNEX-Concentrix have arrangements for regular and frequent communications including weekly and monthly meetings as well as other discussions on a day-to-day basis. Since the beginning of the contract between SYNNEX-Concentrix and HMRC in November 2014 to 11 September 2016, SYNNEX-Concentrix have considered around 667,000 cases of which around 103,000 cases have been amended The total savings in Annually Managed Expenditure were £2.3 million in 2014-15, £122.3 million in 2015-16 and £159.5 million in 2016-17 to mid- August 2016. The total to date is £284.1 million since commencement of the contract in November 14. SYNNEX-Concentrix has achieved the 75 day service level agreement throughout the contract period to date. Since the contract variation in October 2015 to the end of August 2016, there have been a) 13 Amber Green Failures, b) 9 Amber failures, c) 10 red failures and d) 13 Black Failures of Key Performance Indicators. During this same period there have been 1,410 checks of these indicators. Since the start of the contract, the average waiting time for SYNNEX-Concentrix to answer telephone calls has been 6 minutes and 53 seconds and the maximum waiting time for one individual was 1 hour 5 minutes and 34 seconds. Since the contract commenced in November 2014 to mid-August 2016, the average length of time taken between SYNNEX-Concentrix starting to work a mandatory reconsideration and SYNNEX-Concentrix making a decision is 23 days. These cases are not generally erroneous, but tend to arise when further information is provided by the claimant, allowing SYNNEX-Concentrix to review the case after the initial decision has been made.There are currently no tax credit Mandatory Reconsiderations being worked by SYNNEX-Concentrix that are over the target timescale. The table below provides the number of mandatory reconsiderations and appeals that have been received in each financial year since the commencement of the contract. AppealsNumber Received2014/1502015/163652016/17 to mid-August 16167Mandatory ReconsiderationsNumber Received2014/154362015/1620422016/17 to mid-August 167989 The total number of appeals received is about 0.08% of all decisions SYNNEX-Concentrix made in the same period. The total number of Mandatory Reconsiderations received is about 1.6% of all decisions SYNNEX-Concentrix made. Tax credits claimants are asked to provide information within 30 days when undergoing checks for error and fraud. The information about the estimate of the number of recipients of child tax credit and working tax credit whose payments have been erroneously stopped in each year from 2010 to date is not available in the form requested. However, if a claimant believes that an incorrect decisions has been made, they are able to request a review (now known as a Mandatory Reconsideration). If a claimant believes the review decision to be wrong, they may appeal to an independent tribunal. During reviews or at appeal, additional information is often provided that could have supported the original claim, had it been made available earlier in the process. The proportion of reviews and appeals that result in the original decision being changed remains small in proportion to the total number of cases processed. Tax credits are often reinstated when information to support the claim is provided after the initial decision has been taken. Since November 2014 to mid-August 2016 the Contractor has amended 6,755 decisions following the receipt of a mandatory reconsideration. Since the start of the contract to mid-August 2016 the Authority has amended 280 decisions following consideration of customer appeals from a total of around 660,000 cases where SYNNEX-Concentrix has completed its checks. HMRC does not hold information on how many of these were reinstated following a cancellation and how many were adjusted following an amendment to an award. For reasons of commercial sensitivity, HMRC does not disclose its intent around either Clauses B5 or E6 of the contract. For similar reasons, HMRC does not publish the reports completed at the end of each Measurement Period at this time nor disclose the number and value of fines and penalties incurred by SYNNEX-Concentrix under its contract with HMRC.

Financial Services: USA

Calum Kerr: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will publish a response to the report prepared by the Republican staff of the Committee on Financial Services, US House of Representatives, Too Big to Jail, Inside the Obama Justice Department's Decision Not to Hold Wall Street Accountable, published in July 2016.

Simon Kirby: The UK Government does not usually respond to reports from the Committees of other Parliaments and does not intend to respond to this report. The UK government and regulators are committed to ensuring that UK financial institutions are fully compliant with global standards and rules. In our dialogue with the US in 2012, the previous Chancellor requested early warning before any enforcement action is taken against UK banks to manage the financial stability risks. No company is immune from prosecution and the UK government supports the consistent and proportionate enforcement of global rules.

EU Grants and Loans: Northern Ireland

Danny Kinahan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward proposals to ring-fence and secure EU infrastructure funding for projects in Northern Ireland when the UK withdraws from the EU.

Mr David Gauke: On 12 August, the Chancellor set out the steps the Treasury was taking to offer reassurance to recipients of EU funding as part of the UK Government’s wider work on the UK’s exit from the EU. I wrote to the Northern Ireland Finance Minister on the same day, clarifying that the Treasury was offering guarantees in relation to the funding required to cover European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) projects administered by the Executive within its devolved responsibilities, which will have signed contracts or funding arrangements in place in advance of Autumn Statement. My letter further indicated that the Treasury will consider what procedures to put in place for funding in relation to ESIF projects which are expected to be signed after Autumn Statement.

Courier Services: Self-employed

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much tax and national insurance revenue was received from the self-employed courier sector in each of the last three years; and how much tax credit expenditure that sector received in each of those years.

Jane Ellison: Income tax and national insurance contributions are charged on total income after allowances and reliefs therefore it is not possible to determine how much income tax or national insurance contributions were generated solely from self-employment income sources from the courier sector. Tax credit expenditure received by this sector could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Financial Services Compensation Scheme

Chris Elmore: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent increases in Financial Services Compensation Scheme levies on small businesses.

Simon Kirby: The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is an independent non-governmental body. The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) determine the maximum level at which the FSCS levy is set, and how it should be apportioned across industry. The FSCS sets annual levies within these limits. In March 2016 the Government and FCA published the Financial Advice Market Review which observed that the unpredictable nature of the FSCS levy can make it hard for independent financial advisors to plan effectively. It recommended a number of options regarding FSCS funding, which could make the levy more manageable for independent financial advisors. The FCA is currently reviewing FSCS funding and will publish a consultation later this year.

Funerals: Insurance

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take legislative steps to prohibit funeral expenses insurance plans from paying out less to customers than has been paid in.

Simon Kirby: Funeral expenses insurance is a commercial product and the Government does not believe it would be appropriate to interfere in the market in the way the Honourable Member for Glasgow South describes. The respective capabilities of insurers to assess risk is a key element on which they compete and helps to ensure there is a diversity of products and efficient pricing in the market. Insurance is a risk transfer mechanism. At a basic level insurers group together large numbers of people, who all face a similar risk, and collect money from each of them through premiums. This pooling principle lies behind funeral cover insurance policies. These protect policyholders from the risk of dying early and not having accumulated the level of savings they would wish to leave behind to cover the costs of their funeral. The premiums of those who live long enough to contribute more than they would receive in benefits from the policy are used to pay the shortfall from those who die earlier. Therefore it is possible for those with funeral cover insurance to pay more in premiums than they will receive in benefits. An alternative option to such insurance would be to save this money which would mean an individual would not receive less than they put in. However they would then face the risk that, should they die earlier than expected, they would not have accumulated as much in savings as they would have received in benefits from an insurance policy.It is important that consumers understand the nature of their funeral cover insurance policies. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which regulates the insurance industry, has produced an Insurance Conduct of Business Sourcebook (ICOBS) in order to set the standards required of insurance firms in relation to their business. ICOBS rules include a requirement that customers are given all the appropriate information required to make an informed decision ahead of purchasing an insurance product. The rules also state that communications should be clear, fair and not misleading. This means that where there is a possibility that a funeral plan may pay out less than was paid in, this must be clearly disclosed to the consumer before they purchase the product.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many full-time and part-time staff HM Revenue and Customs employs in Northern Ireland; and how many such staff are planned to be employed there by 31 December 2017.

Jane Ellison: As at 31 August, there were 1,566 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff in Northern Ireland. Of these, 1,023 are full time and 543 work part time, equating to 380 full-time equivalent (FTE). This gives a total workforce of 1,403 FTE in Northern Ireland. HMRC is still developing its departmental workforce plans for 2017/18 and through to 2021 and has not yet finalised the projected staff numbers in Northern Ireland as at 31 December 2017.

Business: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate the Government has made of the potential cost to Scottish businesses of leaving the EU.

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate the Government has made of the potential economic cost to Scotland of leaving the EU.

Ian Murray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect on businesses in Edinburgh of leaving the EU.

Mr David Gauke: The United Kingdom will leave the European Union and we are going to make a success of it. While it is clear that we do now face some economic challenges as a result of the referendum decision, the UK economy does so from a position of strength. HM Government is monitoring economic developments closely and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility will produce an updated economic forecast alongside Autumn Statement 2016.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average telephone waiting time was for members of the public trying to contact HM Revenue and Customs in the first six months of (a) 2015 and (b) 2016.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs publishes regular performance reports, including average speed of answer details, which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-plan-indicators.

Community Amateur Sports Clubs Scheme: Prosecutions

Ruth Smeeth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions of community amateur sports clubs for operating incorrectly there have been in the last two years.

Ruth Smeeth: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many community amateur sports clubs have changed their status to a charity in the last two years.

Jane Ellison: Rather than prosecute Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) for operating incorrectly, any club that does not meet the new regulations, introduced in April 2015, will be de-registered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and assessed for potential Capital Gains Tax charges on the deemed disposal and acquisition of assets. Statistics are not kept on former CASCs that set up a charity that they subsequently register with HMRC. These new charities are required to simply register the charity with HMRC in the normal way.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Tim Farron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HM Revenue and Customs paid into the public purse from receipts from its 0845 telephone helpline number in each year before 2014; and what those funds so received were spent on.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs did not receive any revenue from 0845 telephone helpline numbers.

Compulsory Purchase: Compensation

Robert Neill: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take in relation to SI 1995 No. 2262 to ensure that the interest rate on late payments of compensation in relation to compulsory purchase does not become negative.

Robert Neill: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on SI 1995 No. 2262 since 1 June 2016.

Mr David Gauke: The Treasury has been working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to prepare a new Statutory Instrument to amend the Acquisition of Land (Rate of Interest after Entry) Regulations 1995. The new Statutory Instrument introduces a 0% floor for the interest rate on compensation paid after entry. The Statutory Instrument was laid on 7 September and will come into effect before the next reference day on 30 September 2016.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to compensate Equitable Life policy holders who, to date, have not been eligible for compensation.

Simon Kirby: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme was set up in 2011 to make payments to all those affected by the government maladministration of Equitable Life identified by the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman in her 2008 report. After making payments of over £1.1 billion to more than 900,000 policyholders, the Scheme has now closed. A final report on the Scheme’s achievements will be published shortly.

Remittances: EU Nationals

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the total amount of remittances by EU A8 citizens resident in the UK since May 2004.

Mr David Gauke: HM Treasury has made no estimate of the number of remittances made since May 2004.

Financial Services: EU Internal Trade

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the revenue that UK banks and financial institutions receive through passporting rights within the EU since 2000.

Mr David Gauke: Over 5,000 UK firms, including banks, investment firms and insurance companies, hold passports which enable them to provide their financial services and establish branches in other EU Member States. Excluding banks more than three-quarters of all of the firms in the EU that use passporting under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive are based in the UK. However, passporting rights are conferred under several different pieces of EU legislation. Supervisory authorities record passport notifications, including into which Member State the passport is being used, but there is no detailed record of the type or scale of their use. The Treasury is engaging with business to further understand the issues affecting the financial services industry as the UK prepares for negotiations to leave the EU, including how firms make use of the different passports available to them.

Department for International Trade

Investment: Treaties

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support the Government offers to UK-based companies involved in investor-state disputes with other nations.

Mark Garnier: The Government does not provide legal advice to UK investors involved in investor-state disputes. Ministers or officials may raise them with the relevant authorities, but the decision on whether or not do so is made on a case by case basis. Her Majesty’s Government posts overseas offer investment and political information to UK businesses; provide assistance where necessary to resolve problems such as customs or port clearance or those arising from any local practices that are potentially discriminatory against British business; and information to ensure compliance with local laws and regulations.

Africa: Trade Agreements

Maggie Throup: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his G7 counterparts on ensuring that countries in Africa receive fair terms of trade when signing trade and investment agreements with other G7 countries.

Mark Garnier: The UK Government is committed to ensuring developing countries can reduce poverty through trading opportunities and that such impacts are taken into account in our trade policy. Trade was a key component of the G7 summit this year with commitments on Aid for Trade that will help African countries to negotiate and implement trade agreements. The G20 also expressed support at the recent summit for low-income countries to participate in Global Value Chains.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what budget his Department has set for paying staff (a) on secondment from external companies and (b) engaged as external contractors or consultants for each year from 2016 to 2020.

Greg Hands: Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). The DIT aggregates UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), UK Export and Finance (UKEF), Trade Policy Units from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as some new hires.Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes the Secretary of State as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes.The use of secondments and contractors to provide commercial and sectorial experience, not readily available in the civil service and to provide additional resource for limited periods is occasionally required. DIT does not set budgets for the use of secondees, external contractors or consultants as each are deployed flexibly in line with business need. As such we cannot provide details of budgets allocated from 2016 to 2020.For reference, expenditure on secondees currently equates to approximately £14, 299.27 per month. Expenditure on contractors and consultants for 2015/16 was approximately £26.5 million. These costs are subject to fluctuation as the Department responds to changing requirements. Contractor costs reflect the level of senior specialist, technical and commercial knowledge required by the former UKTI department to support British businesses in international markets, and with overseas investors looking to invest in the UK.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many officials of his Department are (a) on secondment from external companies and (b) engaged as external contractors or consultants; and what the cost is of engaging such people.

Greg Hands: Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). The DIT aggregates UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), UK Export and Finance (UKEF), Trade Policy Units from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as some new hires.Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes the Secretary of State as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes.Since the department was formed in July there have been no secondees appointed from the private sector. Secondees previously in post with syndicate organisations have moved across to DIT on legacy terms.Contractors in post with syndicate organisations have also moved across to DIT on legacy terms. Since the department was formed in July the number of contractors remains 217 with incumbent costs, as tabled below. DIT Secondees Monthly CostsDIT Contractors Costs for financial year 2015/16Trade Policy & Ministerial (BEIS)1£0.001£14,982International Trade & Investment (UKTI)*12£14,299.27196 – as of 01/09/16£24 millionUK Export Finance0-20 – as of 01/09/16£2.54 millionTotal13£14,299.27217£26.5 million Table Notes:The majority of secondees are funded by seconding companies. Costs are based on collective monthly salaries of DIT funded secondees.Actual numbers of contractors fluctuate throughout the year as do costs. Contractor costs reflect the level of senior specialist, technical and commercial knowledge required by the former UKTI department to support British businesses in international markets, and with overseas investors looking to invest in the UK.

Department for International Trade: Legal Opinion

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much his Department has spent to date on legal advice relating to Britain's exit from the EU from (a) the Government Legal Department and (b) external legal firms; and how much he plans to spend on such advice over the next 12 months.

Mark Garnier: DIT already has a strong and capable in-house legal team and has not needed to spend on external legal advice. In the next two years we will be developing our in-house team to build the expertise needed to deliver the best outcomes for the UK and position the UK as a global leader in free trade. We have also received many offers of pro bono support from the UK’s outstanding legal profession.

Department for International Trade: Secondment

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many staff are on secondment to his Department from the private sector; from which companies they are seconded; what roles they perform; and what the cost to the public purse will be of their secondment.

Mark Garnier: Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). The DIT aggregates UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), UK Export and Finance (UKEF), Trade Policy Units from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as some new hires. Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes the Secretary of State as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes. Since the department was formed in July there have been no secondees appointed from the Private Sector. Secondees previously in post with syndicate organisations have moved across to DIT on legacy terms as tabled below. These are seconded from a number of companies and occupy different roles across the department and across grades.  DIT SecondeesMonthly CostsTrade Policy & Ministerial (BEIS)1£0.00International Trade & Investment (UKTI)*12£14,299.27UK Export Finance0-Total13£14,299.27* The majority of secondees are funded by seconding companies. Costs are based on collective monthly salaries of DIT funded secondees.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many additional employees he plans to hire from outside the civil service for the purposes of negotiating or renegotiating trade deals as a result of the decision to leave the EU; in what roles such employees will be deployed; over what timescale their deployment will take place; and what the cost to the public purse will be of their deployment.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade has already established a strong and capable trade policy team with significant negotiating experience. The team has more than doubled in size since 23 June and is still growing. On 8th of September, my rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced an open and fair competition to recruit a new Permanent Secretary to lead the Department. We will continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and from elsewhere in order to deliver the best outcomes for the UK.

Department for International Trade: Trade Agreements

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the resources required by his Department to negotiate or renegotiate trade deals as a result of the decision to leave the EU in the next 12 months.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade already has a strong and capable trade policy team which has more than doubled in size since 23 June. In the next year we will be developing that team to build the world class negotiating strengths needed to deliver the best outcomes for the UK. They will have the depth and breadth of expertise to handle the full range of sectoral and cross-cutting issues that arise in trade agreements, supported by analysts and lawyers.

Overseas Trade: Norway

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the level of (a) imports and (b) exports between the UK and Norway by sector was in each of the last five years.

Mark Garnier: Data on UK trade in goods with Norway in each of the last five years are only available by product, not sector. These figures are given in the attached table, sourced from Her Majesty Revenue and Customs’ Overseas Trade Statistics database.Data on UK trade in services with Norway by sector are not available.



Table - Imports/Exports between the UK & Norway
(Word Document, 49.63 KB)

Department for International Trade: Travel

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many flights (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have taken as part of their official duties since his Department was set up on 14 July 2016.

Mark Garnier: As part of their official duties, since 14 July 2016, Ministers have taken 22 flights overseas and accompanying officials have taken 25 flights overseas.

Department for International Trade: Trade Agreements

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, on what trade deals his Department has begun the negotiation process; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world, and to ensure the UK takes advantage of all the opportunities open to us. We are actively engaging with a broad range of international partners to discuss our trading relationships. Earlier this week my rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met with the Australian Minister for Trade and Investment and the Prime Minister had a number of productive discussions with partners at the G20 summit in Hangzhou. We will continue this engagement to best promote British trade, and to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will publish a list of all secondees to her Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many times her Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has not employed any secondees from consulting firms in the last three financial years. From Financial Year 2014/15 to date, the GEO has worked with consulting firms on two occasions to support Ministers’ objectives to eliminate the Gender Pay Gap, and on these occasions at no cost to the public purse. In November 2014, Ernst and Young hosted the launch of the annual “Think, Act, Report” publication on the Gender Pay Gap, at no cost to the GEO. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/nicky-morgan-speaks-at-think-act-report-progress-report-launch. In May 2016 Deloitte produced a case study on “Think, Act, Report”, at no cost to the GEO. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/deloitte-case-study.

Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Answers of 10 June 2015 and 22 December 2015 to Questions 700 and 19860, when she plans to (a) publish the evaluation report on the pilot Access to Elected Office Fund and (b) make a decision on whether that Fund should continue.

Caroline Dinenage: An evaluation of the pilot fund is currently being undertaken and will be published when an announcement about the future of the fund is made in due course.

Government Equalities Office: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government Equalities Office has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps the Government Equalities Office plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other Government departments, including the Government Equalities Office, and a wide range of other interested parties.

Honours: Males

Karl McCartney: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government Equalities Office has invited contact from the public for people working to support equality for men who deserve an honour.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government Equalities Office liaises with stakeholders to seek nominations for honours that fall within their remit. This includes men as well as women, equalities and LGB&T.

Department for Transport

Parking: Dispute Resolution

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to grant local authorities greater powers to resolve neighbour disputes arising from the reservation of parking spaces using traffic cones, refuse bins or other items.

Andrew Jones: It is an offence under Section 148(c) of the Highways Act 1980 for a person to deposit anything on the highway to interrupt the use of a highway. Local authorities have powers under Section 149 of the Highways Act 1980 to notify the person who deposited the item or items to remove them, or refer the matter to a Magistrates’ Court if he or she fails to comply. The Government believes that the current powers are adequate to deal with such matters.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the fall in the DVLA's revenue from vehicle excise duty between 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) collects around £6billion in vehicle excise duty annually and also recovers almost £30million from enforcement activities. The DVLA annual audited accounts showed a reduction in the amount of vehicle excise duty collected of £93million for 2015-16, a decrease of around 1.5% of total revenue raised the previous year. However, this figure was better than the Office of Budget Responsibility forecasts. It is widely recognised that the amount of vehicle tax collected varies year on year. The decrease in revenue for the last financial year has been attributed to three main causes; more efficient vehicles emitting less carbon dioxide resulting in lower tax bands, over 10 million direct debits which moves the revenue across months rather than being collected up front as before and a small increase in evasion.

Great Western Railway Line: WiFi

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what improvements to WiFi coverage on trains are being made by Great Western Railways.

Paul Maynard: First Great Western InterCity and Thames Valley trains have been fitted with on-train Wi-Fi. Following the Direct Award Great Western Railway is fitting free Wi-Fi to all Super Express Trains, Electrical Multiple Units and long term diesel trains remaining in the fleet. The fitted trains include the new AT300 trains providing London to South West services. Great Western Railway state in their ‘Annual Stakeholder Report 2015-16’ that this work will be completed by December 2018.

Department for Transport: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times his Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Mr John Hayes: To provide the detailed spend and purpose information requested on each individual occasion would require manual intervention and analysis on approximately 30,000 payments across the Department for Transport and its agencies. The number of times an organisation was used will also vary each year as projects can span financial years and this could lead to double counting with the risk that inaccurate information is provided. I am therefore unable to provide the information in the format requested.

Department for Transport: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish a list of all secondees to his Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

Mr John Hayes: The total number of secondees to the Department from (a) PWC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years is 4. Due to the low number of secondees, we are unable to be more specific in the information so as to protect individuals from being identified personally.

Heathrow Airport

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the result of the EU referendum on the timetable for a decision on Heathrow expansion.

Mr John Hayes: The Prime Minister will begin the negotiation for Britain’s future relationship with Europe and will also take the decision about when to trigger article 50 and start the formal process of leaving the EU. The Prime Minister has been clear that article 50 will not be triggered before the end of the year. The Government is committed to delivering the important infrastructure projects the country needs, including delivering runway capacity on the timetable set out by the Airports Commission. The Government are giving high priority to this issue and the decision will be made shortly.

Bus Services: Tickets

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has conducted on the potential effect of cashless payments and smart ticketing on buses on (a) bus journey times, (b) bus patronage and (c) congestion.

Andrew Jones: Through Transport Focus, the Department has conducted three pieces of bus related research on contactless payments and smart ticketing:a) Oxford SmartZone smart card evaluation - published in September 2013b) Norfolk’s smart card evaluation - published in March 2015c) Non-London bus passenger attitudes towards contactless payments - not yet published.

Road Traffic: Urban Areas

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce congestion in cities.

Andrew Jones: The Government has an ambitious strategy for tackling congestion in our cities and towns and improving performance on our roads. This strategy includes providing significant investment in both our strategic and local road networks, as well as encouraging more sustainable transport including buses, light rail and walking and cycling. We are providing £15.2 billion between 2015 and 2021 to invest in our strategic road network. This is the biggest upgrade to our motorways and ‘A’ roads for a generation, and it is adding capacity and tackling congestion. On local roads we have the £12 billion Local Growth Fund to 2021 which has enabled local authorities through the Local Enterprise Partnerships to identify and secure funding for projects to enable among other things, local road improvements and sustainable local transport projects. This is on top of over £6 billion through to 2021 to councils in England to help maintain their local roads and repair potholes. This investment is set against the backdrop of a regulatory framework that is intended to provide better conditions for all road users through coordination and proactive management of the road network. The Traffic Management Act 2004 specifically places a network management duty on each local traffic authority in England to manage its road network to secure the expeditious movement of traffic on its own network and to facilitate the same on the network of other authorities. This can be achieved through traditional traffic management methods but increasingly also through the deployment of technology. To support this the Department is currently inviting local authorities to bid for a share of £2m to fund demonstrator projects to test these new technologies.

Electric Vehicles: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of maintenance and repair technicians who are qualified in electric and hybrid car maintenance.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure vehicle technicians hold the necessary skills to work with electric vehicle technology.

Mr John Hayes: The government recognises the need to develop servicing skills to support the UK’s transition to ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs). The Institute for the Motor Industry estimates there are currently around 1,000 vehicle technicians qualified to work on electric vehicles, with another 1,000 in training and due to be qualified by 2018. The 2020 Vision for English Apprenticeships supports an industry-led approach to skills training that puts employers in the driving seat of new apprenticeship standards. The establishment of the employer-led Institute for Apprenticeships and the introduction of an employer levy fund provides an opportunity for the ULEV sector to lead the development of training programmes to meet the skills needs they have identified.

Alternative Fuels: Hydrogen

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support the installation of hydrogen refuelling stations.

Mr John Hayes: In March 2015 the Government announced a £6.6m investment to help develop a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. Seven successful projects are now underway to install an initial network of 12 hydrogen refuelling stations. These will support the early take-up of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the UK.

Batteries and Fuel Cells: Research

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make additional funding available for battery and fuel cell research and development.

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide additional funding for battery and fuel cell electric vehicles research and development.

Mr John Hayes: The government allocated more than £600 million to support the uptake, development and manufacture of ultra low emission vehicles in the 2015 Spending Review. Our comprehensive package of support includes funding provision for research and development projects, and the scope of a new competition launched on 5 September 2016 includes battery and fuel cells. Further details are available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-competition-low-emission-vehicle-systems-idp13. The UK already provides one the most comprehensive support packages for ultra low emission vehicles anywhere in the world. We shall keep the funding requirements for the OLEV program under constant review.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the relative difference in insurance premiums for (a) electric vehicles and (b) diesel or petrol models.

Mr John Hayes: Analysis carried out for the government in 2015 suggested that insurance premiums are broadly equivalent between electric vehicles and their petrol or diesel equivalents.

Motor Vehicles

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the (a) automotive sector and (b) low emission vehicles market.

Mr John Hayes: The Government remains committed to almost every car and van in the UK being a zero emission vehicle by 2050. The Government is committed to making a success of the negotiations to leave the EU and will work hard to get the best deal for Britain. In the meantime, Departments will continue working to deliver the Government agenda.

Railways: Compensation

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to (a) announce and (b) introduce the new arrangements for rail passenger refunds following delays; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: Delay Repay is a generous compensation scheme for longer delays, but this Government wants to go further. We are committed to improving compensation arrangements for passengers affected by shorter delays which are not covered by the current Delay Repay scheme. The previous Chancellor announced in his Autumn 2015 Spending Review that passengers will soon have access to compensation when trains are over 15 minutes late. We expect to make an announcement on this shortly.

Electric Vehicles: Government Assistance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for changes to the level of funding available through the electric vehicle homecharge scheme for householders wishing to install ultra-low emission vehicle charging technology at home.

Mr John Hayes: As the market for plug-in vehicles grows we have reduced the level of grant available under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme reflecting falling costs, so that Government support can be maintained and more motorists can benefit.

Electric Vehicles: Government Assistance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the difference between the number of grants taken up to be used to buy plug-in vehicles and the number of grants taken up to be used to install home charge points.

Mr John Hayes: Only those with off-street parking or a garage are eligible for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme which funds a dedicated home chargepoint. Some plug-in vehicle owners may only have on-street parking and be charging their vehicles at work or using the public charging network. A small number may be charging their vehicles at home using an existing domestic socket.

Electric Vehicles: Government Assistance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the effect that the changes to plug-in grants from March 2016 have had on the take-up of electric vehicles.

Mr John Hayes: Many consumers brought forward their orders of new plug-in vehicles to before March to take advantage of the higher grant rates. The effect of this sales spike is still being felt with some vehicles ordered in February still to be delivered. This impact of the grant change will become clearer after the new registration plate in September. Registrations of ULEVs have continued to grow since the grant change.

Road Traffic

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the decline in average traffic speed over the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The Department publishes statistics on average traffic speeds on locally managed ‘A’ roads in England and the Strategic Road Network. For locally managed ‘A’ roads, average speeds have decreased since 2014, when the Department started measuring speeds over the full 24 hours of the day. This is in line with the previously published statistical series which presented average speeds, on locally managed ‘A’ roads during the weekday morning peak, decreasing from 2012 to the end of that series in 2015. The statistics for average speeds on the Strategic Road Network start in 2015-16. The latest statistics in this series (the 12 months to June 2016) presented a small decrease in average speeds compared to 2015-16 (the 12 months to March 2016). The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of the reasons for the decline in average speeds. However, we believe that the decreases observed in average speeds on locally managed ‘A roads in England since 2012 are, at least in part, a result of the impact of increases in traffic on these roads. We know that people rely on roads in increasing numbers as our economy grows, and that is why, for example, we are investing £15billion in the strategic road network which will help to help tackle congestion. In addition, in 2012-13 there were unusually high levels of rainfall in England, which we also believe contributed to the decrease in average speeds at that time.

A34: Safety

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission an urgent review of safety on the A34.

Mr John Hayes: Highways England regularly reviews safety issues on all routes on the strategic road network and it currently has plans to install new technical measures on the A34, as one of the schemes in the Road Investment Strategy, to ease congestion and improve safety and incident management. The Department is not minded to carry out a further review at this time.

A34: Safety

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safety improvements are planned for the A34; and what the planned date of completion is for each such improvement.

Mr John Hayes: Highways England has a major scheme planned for the A34 to ease congestion, improve safety and incident management between the M4 junction at Chievely and the M40 junction at Wendlebury. Vehicle detection loops (in the road) will detect when traffic is building or slowing down to help operate traffic signals and activate electronic message signs. CCTV cameras and driver information systems will be installed at key locations along the A34 between the M4 and the M40. Highways England intends to start work by March 2020.

A34: Safety

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safety improvements have been undertaken on the A34 in the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: In the last five years Highways England has carried out twelve specific safety schemes on the A34. The Gore Hill HGV restriction scheme started as a trial in 2010 and was made permanent in September 2011 because of its success in reducing accidents. Between 2011 and 2012, Highways England completed four safety schemes, namely the Botley Northbound Merge Improvements, Whitchurch Directional Signing, Winnal Layby Improvement, and the Oxford Resurfacing Scheme. The layby and directional signs needed bringing up to current standards to improve safety. Between 2014 and 2015, Highways England completed seven safety schemes, namely Kingsworthy Layby Improvement, Whitchurch Direction Signs Upgrade, A34/M3 Junction 9 Deer Vehicle Collisions Mitigation, A34 Passively Safe Signs, A34 Roadworker Safety, A34/M40 Junction 9 Wendlebury (Phase 2), and Didcot Drainage Maintenance. The drainage maintenance scheme was necessary to reduce the risk of future flooding between the A4130 Milton Interchange and the A4185 Chilton junction. Numerous Renewals, Structures and Technology schemes have been delivered on the A34 in the past five years and these schemes have had an inherent safety aspect inbuilt.

Road Traffic Offences: Mobile Phones

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on trends in the incidence of mobile phone use while driving since it was prohibited.

Andrew Jones: In 2014, 1.6% of drivers in England and Scotland were observed using a mobile phone whilst driving. This is similar to the 1.4% of drivers observed using a hand held mobile phone in England in 2009, when the previous survey was carried out. In this context, we have recently consulted on proposals for increased penalties for this dangerous behaviour.

Roads

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help local authorities utilise data from the transport sector to improve local road networks.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport recognises the importance of using technology and data to manage and improve local road networks. Whilst local highway authorities have always used technical data, including road condition survey data, to help them make informed decisions on helping to improve local highway networks, the Department continues to encourage highway authorities to utilise data from wide range of sources. The Department recently announced a £2 million fund to allow local highway authorities to capitalise on emerging technologies and deliver better journeys for all road users. Further details are available on the Department for Transport website at the following weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/2-million-to-improve-roads-using-new-technology

HM Coastguard: Fareham

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vacant posts at each grade there are at the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham.

Mr John Hayes: The current vacancies at the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham are as follows: Maritime Operations Controller – 1Maritime Operations Specialist – 3Maritime Operations Officer/Senior Maritime Operations Officer – 9.5

HM Coastguard: Fareham

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times in the last two years the Northern Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham has had staffing levels below what is considered safe.

Mr John Hayes: The operational concepts and procedures that underpin Her Majesty’s Coastguard’s national network mean that the Coastguard Centres within it no longer have fixed geographic boundaries. This enables Coastguards at either the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) or any of the 9 Coastguard Operations Centres (CGOC) to coordinate any incident anywhere around the UK coast irrespective of their location. As a result workload is now managed on a national basis rather than Centre by Centre as was previously the case. National capability and Coastguard staff from any Centre are now available to provide additional support to any individual Centre within the network when it is considered necessary by senior operational managers. Due to this inherent flexibility Her Majesty’s Coastguard sets ‘Optimum Suggested’ staffing for the network as a whole rather than for each centre. Over the last two years since the national network became operational out of a total of 1,427 watches (both day and night) the network has been staffed below ‘Optimal Suggested’ levels on 137 watches.

HM Coastguard: Falmouth

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times one person has been left on (a) daytime and (b) night-time watch at Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre in the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: The operational concepts and procedures that underpin Her Majesty’s Coastguard’s national network mean that the Coastguard Centres within it no longer have fixed geographic boundaries. This enables Coastguards at either the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) or any of the 9 Coastguard Operations Centres (CGOC) to coordinate any incident anywhere around the UK coast irrespective of their location. As a result workload is now managed on a national basis rather than Centre by Centre as was previously the case. National capability and Coastguard staff from any Centre are now available to provide additional support to any individual Centre within the network when it is considered necessary by senior operational managers. The network enables Coastguards at either the National Maritime Operations Centre or at any of the nine Coastguard Operations Centres to coordinate any incident anywhere around the UK coast. Workload is managed on a national basis enabling national capability and resource to be available to support any Coastguard Centre when it is considered necessary by senior operational managers. The number of watches when one Coastguard Officer has been on duty at Falmouth in the last five years is as follows: (a) Daytime – 0(b) Night Watches – 6.5

HM Coastguard: Career Development

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average length of time is from joining for an employee to qualify as a (a) maritime operations commander, (b) maritime operations controller, (c) senior operations officer and (d) maritime operations officer.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average length of time is from joining for an employee to qualify as a (a) senior watch manager, (b) watch manager, (c) watch officer and (d) watch assistant.

Mr John Hayes: The length of time taken to train Coastguard Officers is entirely dependent on their level of experience and competence when they join Her Majesty’s Coastguard and the level of experience of competence they gain prior to any internal promotion. Therefore an average for these would be misleading. On entry to HM Coastguard as a Maritime Operations Officer it will take between six and 12 months to become trained, depending on previous maritime experience and competence. HM Coastguard do not recruit direct entry Senior Maritime Operations Officers, they are internally recruited from the cadre of fully trained Maritime Operations Officers who will then undertake a further six months of training for this post. As roles that can be directly recruited from outside HM Coastguard the training for both Maritime Operations Controllers and Maritime Operations Commanders is entirely dependent on their prevailing maritime experience and is in effect bespoke for the individual concerned. It should be noted that the roles senior watch manager, watch manager, watch officer and watch assistant no longer exist within HM Coastguard.

HM Coastguard: Falmouth

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any requests from Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre asking for assistance in running an incident have been turned down by (a) the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham and (b) any other station in the last two years.

Mr John Hayes: Her Majesty’s Coastguard do not specifically record requests for assistance from the National Maritime Operations Centre or any Coastguard Operations Centre within its Incident Management System. Information may be held in the text narrative of an incident within this system but this would require a check of tens of thousands of records, diverting resources from critical parts of their budget and would be disproportionately costly to collate.It should be noted that any decision to provide assistance to Coastguard Operations Centre will be on the basis of the professional judgement of a senior operational manager.

HM Coastguard: Falmouth

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fully-qualified coastguard staff were on (a) daytime and (b) nighttime duty at Falmouth Coastguard operations centre on (a) 2 May and (b) 9 July 2015.

Mr John Hayes: The number of fully qualified Coastguard staff on duty at Falmouth, within Her Majesty’s Coastguard’s national network, was as follows: (a) 2 May 2015(a) Day Watch - 4 (Total staffing for the national network – 25)(b) Night Watch – 2 (Total staffing for the national network – 19) (b) 9 July 2015(a) Day Watch – 2 (Total staffing for the national network – 37)(b) Night Watch – 3 (Total staffing for the national network – 25) The operational concepts and procedures that underpin HM Coastguard’s national network mean that the Coastguard Centres within it no longer have fixed geographic boundaries. This enables Coastguards at either the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) or any of the 9 Coastguard Operations Centres (CGOC) to coordinate any incident anywhere around the UK coast irrespective of their location. As a result workload is now managed on a national basis rather than Centre by Centre as was previously the case. National capability and Coastguard staff from any Centre are now available to provide additional support to any individual Centre within the network when it is considered necessary by senior operational managers.

HM Coastguard: Falmouth

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vacant posts at each grade there are at Falmouth Coastguard operations centre.

Mr John Hayes: There are no vacancies at any grade at the Coastguard Operations Centre in Falmouth at present.

Rescue Services

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many callouts have been recorded for coastguard rescue teams in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: The number of incidents recorded for Coastguard Rescue Teams in each of the last five years is as follows: 2011201220132014201522,96221,06820,12319,59217,006

HM Coastguard: Falmouth

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times in the last two years Falmouth Coastguard Operations Centre has had staffing levels below what is considered safe.

Mr John Hayes: The operational concepts and procedures that underpin Her Majesty’s Coastguard’s national network mean that the Coastguard Centres within it no longer have fixed geographic boundaries. This enables Coastguards at either the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) or any of the 9 Coastguard Operations Centres (CGOC) to coordinate any incident anywhere around the UK coast irrespective of their location. As a result workload is now managed on a national basis rather than Centre by Centre as was previously the case. National capability and Coastguard staff from any Centre are now available to provide additional support to any individual Centre within the network when it is considered necessary by senior operational managers. Due to this inherent flexibility Her Majesty’s Coastguard sets ‘Optimum Suggested’ staffing for the network as a whole rather than for each centre. Over the last two years since the national network became operational out of a total of 1,427 watches (both day and night) the network has been staffed below ‘Optimal Suggested’ levels on 137 watches.

HM Coastguard: Fareham

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether staff at the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham are required to record a reason for not calling on a lifeboat or coastguard team or another resource.

Mr John Hayes: Her Majesty’s Coastguard staff at the National Maritime Operations Centre and Coastguard Operations Centres around the United Kingdom are encouraged to record the rationale for decisions taken for operational reasons during the coordination of maritime search and rescue incidents.

HM Coastguard: Fareham

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many unanswered telephone calls the National Maritime Operations Centre has each day.

Mr John Hayes: Her Majesty’s Coastguard does not record the number of unanswered routine telephone calls at the National Maritime Operations Centre or at any of the Coastguard Operations Centres within the national network. It should be noted that there is a robust system, in line with the Public Emergency Call Service (PECS) Code of Practice, to ensure that ‘999’ calls to Centres within the network are answered. This is through a cascade system across the network and if necessary to other emergency services.

HM Coastguard: Fareham

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fully-trained coastguard staff working at the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham were on the daytime watch covering the south coast from Plymouth to Selsey Bill on (a) 2 May 2015, (b) 9 July 2015, (c) 24 May 2016, (d) 29 May 2016 and (e) 4 June 2016.

Mr John Hayes: The operational concepts and procedures that underpin Her Majesty’s Coastguard’s national network mean that the Coastguard Centres within it no longer have fixed geographic boundaries. This enables Coastguards at either the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) or any of the 9 Coastguard Operations Centres (CGOC) to coordinate any incident anywhere around the UK coast irrespective of their location. As a result workload is now managed on a national basis rather than Centre by Centre as was previously the case. National capability and Coastguard staff from any Centre are now available to provide additional support to any individual Centre within the network when it is considered necessary by senior operational managers. Therefore the national network had the following fully trained coastguard staff on daytime watch for the following dates: 2 May 2015 - Total network staff 25 (national network in transition: Network Centres – NMOC, Falmouth, Holyhead, Milford Haven, Humber. Centres still to transition - Belfast, Stornoway, Shetland, Aberdeen, London and Dover) 9 July 2015 – Total network staff 37 (national network in transition: Network Centres – NMOC, Falmouth, Holyhead, Milford Haven, Humber. Centres still to transition - Belfast, Stornoway, Shetland, Aberdeen, London and Dover) 24 May 2016 – Total network staff 46 (Full national network) 29 May 2016 – Total network staff 41 (Full national network) 4 June 2016 – Total network staff 45 (Full national network)

HM Coastguard: Fareham

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham turned down requests from other Category 1 Responders for assistance in the last two years; and for each such request (a) what type of request it was, (b) what reason was recorded for it being turned down and (c) which coastguard station turned it down.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times the coastguard has turned down requests from other Category 1 Responders for assistance in the last five years; and for each such request (a) what type of request it was, (b) what reason was recorded for it being turned down and (c) which coastguard station turned it down.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the coastguard turned down any request from any other service for assistance during inland floods in the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: Her Majesty’s Coastguard does not specifically record occurrences when other Category 1 Responders or any other service requests assistance. Information may be held within the text narrative of an incident record but this would require a check of tens of thousands of records over the last two to five years.

Rescue Services

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what change there has been in the number of incidents reported along the south coast from Plymouth to Selsey Bill in the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: The number of incidents reported along the south coast from Plymouth to Selsey Bill over the last five years is as follows: YearTotal20117,77620127,42720136,47020147,62420153,927 Between September 2014 and December 2015, as part of Her Majesty’s Coastguard’s incremental transition of Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres into to its national network, its Incident Management System (IMS) was upgraded, centralised and improved. These new national network arrangements have removed the potential for incident duplication across the 18 individual IMSs and have led to more consistent classification of incidents.

Rescue Services: Standards

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what maximum length of time is considered safe from when an emergency call is received in a coastguard control room to when the coastguard vehicle is ready to leave its station.

Mr John Hayes: Each incident involving a Coastguard Rescue Team is different in its context given geography, terrain, weather conditions, prevailing traffic conditions and the availability of individual volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers. For this reason the Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not collate or maintain data in the format you have requested either locally or nationally. However, it can provide specific response times for specific incidents.

Rescue Services: Floods

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many coastguard rescue teams have been deployed to inland flooding incidents in the past two years; and how many times those teams were called out to such incidents in the past two years.

Mr John Hayes: The capability to specifically record inland flood/civil contingencies flooding incidents has only been available in Her Majesty’s Coastguards Incident Management System since September 2014 as Coastguard Operations Centres transitioned incrementally into its national network. On the basis of the records available, at least 31 teams on 13 occasions have been deployed to inland flooding incidents in the past two years.

Rescue Services

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many callouts have been recorded for each coastguard rescue team along the south coast from Plymouth to Selsey Bill in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: The number of incidents recorded for each Coastguard Rescue Team along the south coast from Plymouth to Selsey Bill in each of the last five years is shown below:  BigburyBembridgeBeerBerry HeadDartmouthExmouthHope CoveKimmeridge20111575371155210528242012256738953293362120131660328638541672014297131935563361520152042268620487817  LymingtonLulworthLyme RegisNewport IOWPortland BillPlymouthPoolePrawle2011884046 6773138232012694552 5362131152013474233 585095242014522644 544898342015483143224087718  SelseySouthamptonSwanageTorbayTeignmouthVentnorWest BayWykeYealm20111123133143894438192182012 84145137642643152142013 69110124714034119182014 12110812274413083262015 1448190663729 7

Rescue Services

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many reports of tombstoning have been received and investigated by a coastguard team from Plymouth to Selsey Bill in each of the last five years.

Mr John Hayes: Her Majesty’s Coastguard has responded to the following number of tombstoning incidents, in the area listed in the question, in each of the last five years: 201020112012201320142015448011 HM Coastguard responsibilities end with its search and rescue response to each incident.

HM Coastguard: Fareham

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many fully-trained staff are based at the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham.

Mr John Hayes: Her Majesty’s Coastguard currently have a total of 58 staff who are qualified Coastguards at the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham. There are an additional 12 staff who are communication/systems trained, but awaiting to complete their final training and assessments, who are able to undertake watchkeeping tasks commensurate with their training.

Electric Vehicles: Urban Areas

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on delivering 750 more charging points in UK towns and cities by 2020 through the Go Ultra Low City scheme.

Mr John Hayes: As well as delivering over 750 chargepoints, the Go Ultra Low City Scheme will establish exemplar cities, see local authorities use local powers to encourage uptake, and test new technological solutions. Since the winners were announced in January 2016, the Government has agreed robust delivery plans with all winning cities to deliver the agreed outputs by 2020. Oxford City Council, Milton Keynes, the North East Combined Authority and Nottingham City Council have already begun the process of public chargepoint procurements.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total amount paid in compensation to people affected by the High Speed 2 project was in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The total amount paid for land and property to people affected by the HS2 project in the last twelve months is £125,953,179 with a further £3,345,403 in compensation payments associated with the statutory blight regime. The combined total expenditure in the past 12 months was £129,298,582. The monthly expenditure in the last year was as follows: MonthLand and Property ExpenditureStatutory Blight Compensation Sep-15£5,296,600£444,072Oct-15£6,781,500£436,980Nov-15£10,988,700£321,579Dec-15£12,969,010£490,082Jan-16£8,581,370£474,675Feb-16£8,856,450Mar-16£15,201,825£251,119Apr-16£12,030,678£346,051May-16£7,624,530£237,814Jun-16£11,032,550£242,986Jul-16£15,309,681£5,604Aug-16£11,280,285£94,441 Total £125,953,179£3,345,403

Aviation

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the importance of direct long-haul air links with a hub airport for international trade.

Mr John Hayes: Evidence on the links between long-haul air connections and international trade was presented by the Airports Commission in its Final Report and supporting documents. The Government is considering all of this evidence very carefully before reaching a view on its preferred scheme. The Government is not providing a running commentary on this work before an announcement on its preference.

Taxis: Licensing

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to lay guidance on licensing functions under taxi and private hire vehicle legislation before Parliament.

Andrew Jones: The Department is currently updating the existing guidance on local authority licensing functions for taxi and private hire vehicles. We will consult on a draft once the Policing and Crime Bill, which provides a new power for statutory guidance, has received Royal Assent.

Euston Station

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2016 to Question 35329, whether the development of a plan to progress the initial feasibility and business case work for a Euston Station masterplan has been completed.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail has been commissioned and is progressing initial feasibility and business case work for its 'classic' (conventional) station at Euston. This work is underway, and is scheduled to be concluded in early 2018. In parallel, HS2 Ltd is leading masterplanning work for the entire Euston site, involving all station operators and the local area during 2016 and 2017. The first stage of this process has been planned and is now underway. These processes will run jointly and concurrently, and integrate with plans for HS2 and associated over site development.

Southern: Compensation

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer given by the then Prime Minister, on 29 June 2016, Official Report, column 1294, when his Department will confirm details of the additional compensation to be offered to Southern Rail passengers following the recent strikes and disruption to the regular timetable.

Paul Maynard: The Department is currently reviewing compensation options and a decision will be made in due course. Govia Thameslink Railway already offers passengers Delay Repay, one of the most generous compensation schemes in Europe, and customers can claim for disruption against Southern’s permanent timetable. Looking forward, we have just confirmed that the provisions of the Consumer Rights Act will apply to the rail industry in full from October 2016. We will set out further plans shortly.

Southern: Compensation

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will provide compensation to non-season ticket holders on Southern Rail for the result of strike action in 2016 and for the effect on such ticket holders of the reduced timetable in operation since 11 July 2016.

Paul Maynard: Govia Thameslink Railway already offers passengers Delay Repay, one of the most generous compensation schemes in Europe. Non-season ticket holders can claim as usual for disruption on strike days. In addition, season ticket holders are eligible for strike compensation on the days when the RMT’s industrial action makes travel challenging. Details of how to apply are available on Southern’s website. Looking forward, we have just confirmed that the provisions of the Consumer Rights Act will apply to the rail industry in full from October 2016. We will set out further plans shortly.

Crossrail 2 Line

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the merits of establishing a working group on future planning of Crossrail 2 which includes representatives from Transport for London and affected local authorities.

Paul Maynard: The government is working jointly with Transport for London (TfL) on Crossrail 2 development. TfL meets regularly with a range of senior stakeholders including local authorities to feed their views into the development of the scheme, and has structures and processes in place to continue this good engagement.

Crossrail 2 Line

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that local authorities are (a) kept informed on and (b) can contribute to Transport for London's work on business cases for future development of Crossrail 2.

Paul Maynard: Transport for London meets regularly with local authorities to discuss Crossrail 2’s development, including working with local authorities to assess growth projects and associated infrastructure needs to ensure a robust business case is developed. Alongside this ongoing engagement, several formal consultations have already been held, and more will follow as the scheme develops.

Railways: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) connectivity and (b) affordability of rail travel between Stoke-on-Trent and London.

Paul Maynard: For the next InterCity West Coast franchise we ran a public consultation from 10 May to 2 August this year seeking both the public’s and stakeholders’ views and priorities to help inform potential bidders to ensure they meet the needs of the passengers. This included questions about connectivity and minimum levels of service. We are now reviewing and analysing the information and a summary will be published in due course. We have capped the rail fares we regulate at inflation (Retail Price Index) for four years running, and will continue to do so for the life of this parliament. This means those fares we regulate will rise by no more than 1.9% in 2017. Passengers on long-distance routes such as Stoke on Trent to London can also benefit from unregulated Advance fares, which have helped to make some leisure travel services significantly cheaper for passengers who are able to book ahead and commit themselves to travelling on a specific departure, and has also helped to fill emptier trains.

Electric Vehicles: Urban Areas

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of whether the Government's Go Ultra Low scheme to deliver 750 more charging points in UK towns and cities by 2020 will reach its target.

Mr John Hayes: As well as delivering over 750 chargepoints, the Go Ultra Low City Scheme will establish exemplar cities, see local authorities use local powers to encourage uptake, and test new technological solutions. Since the winners were announced in January 2016, the Government has agreed robust delivery plans with all winning cities to deliver the agreed outputs by 2020. Oxford City Council, Milton Keynes, the North East Combined Authority and Nottingham City Council have already begun the process of public chargepoint procurements.

Level Crossings

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals related to the recommendations of the Law Commission's report on level crossings, published in September 2013.

Paul Maynard: We welcome the Law Commission’s recommendations on the reform of level crossing legislation, the majority of which we accepted. We are considering opportunities to take measures we accepted forward through primary legislation.

Network Rail: Capital Investment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to his Department's consultation on the Hendy Report, published in January 2016.

Paul Maynard: Following the conclusion of my Department’s consultation, the Secretary of State has accepted the report by Sir Peter Hendy on the replanning of Network Rail’s Investment Programme. No-one has put forward a better overall plan for how to deliver the programme than the plan that Sir Peter has proposed. The programme of railway upgrades will continue to be subject to ongoing assessment and investment decisions to ensure that maximum value is derived for passengers and taxpayers A report summarising the responses made to the consultation will be published later in the year and a copy will be placed in both libraries of the house.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the total spend on High Speed 2 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: Since 2009 the Government has spent £1.4bn on the HS2 programme. This covers the period up to and including 2015/16 and includes the costs incurred by HS2 Ltd and Land & Property (L&P) expenditure. Data for 2016/17 is provisional and is currently not included.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what section 54 undertakings have been given for which rolling stock fleets; and what the (a) owning group and (b) terminating date is for each such undertaking.

Paul Maynard: The table below represents the expiry dates of the Section 54 undertakings in England and Wales which have been entered into between the Secretary of State and the owners of the rolling stock. Since September 2014 the Department has not entered into any Section 54 undertakings. Our current policy is that trains should be purchased in the market and the owner should take residual value risk. The Scottish Government has powers which it can exercise in relation to Section 54. ClassOwner/LessorNo of vehiclesCurrent lessee  Expiry Date of Section 54800 / 801Agility Trains East497Virgin Trains East Coast27.5 years after the Actual Acceptance Date of the first set in the fleet.800 / 801Agility Trains West369First Great Western27.5 years after the Actual Acceptance Date of the first set in the fleet.180Angel Trains25First Great Western31 December 2016700Cross London Trains1140GTR21 March 2036377Porterbrook Leasing792GTR07 March 2022390Angel Trains574Virgin Trains West Coast31 March 2022221Voyager Leasing102Virgin Trains West Coast31 March 2019444 / 450Angel Trains733South West Trains23 April 2025455Porterbrook Leasing364South West Trains01 February 2018707Angel Trains150South West Trains31 March 2019350/1Angel Trains120London Midland23 April 2025350/3Angel Trains40London Midland19 September 2018395Eversholt Rail Group174South Eastern17 years from Acceptance Date of last initial unit which was 2009.333Angel Trains64Northern24 July 2020350/4Angel Trains40TPE19 September 2018165Angel Trains89Chiltern31 December 2018

Severn River Crossing: Public Consultation

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to launch its consultation on the future of the Severn Bridges.

Mr John Hayes: The Department is aiming to launch its consultation in late Autumn 2016. A specific date is still to be decided.

Large Goods Vehicles: EU Law

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the UK has to enact the EU Weights and Dimensions Directive (2015/719); and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: Following the EU Referendum on 23 June the Government is considering the impacts of the decision to leave the EU, and are now preparing to negotiate our exit. Until this happens we remain a member state of the EU with all of the rights and obligations that this entails. In accordance with this the Department is therefore considering how it can best ensure that we will be able to implement the EU Weights and Dimensions Directive (2015/719).

Speed Limits: Cameras

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2016 to Question 25499, how many individual speed cameras on the strategic road network have been converted from grey paint to yellow paint; and how many camera sites contain such cameras.

Mr John Hayes: Speed cameras on all-purpose trunk roads are already yellow in colour. 41 camera sites on the motorway network have been converted from grey to yellow. Of these, 39 sites contain speed cameras. There is an ongoing programme to convert all the camera sites on the motorways from grey to yellow.

Clacton-on-Sea Station

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Abellio Greater Anglia on commitments for station upgrades at Clacton-on-Sea, as part of the new franchise agreed in August 2016.

Paul Maynard: The new Franchise Agreement will require that Clacton-on-Sea station is equipped with digital Customer Information System (CIS) screens, help points and CCTV cameras linked back to a central control centre. Passengers at Clacton-on-Sea will also benefit from free of charge improved network bandwidth WiFi at the station by 2018. Abellio shall undertake a refurbishment programme at Clacton-on-Sea. This will include a deep clean of the station.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Turkey: Military Coups

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that the human rights of Turkish people imprisoned as a result of the failed coup in July 2016 are respected; and what reports he has received on the alleged abuse of those prisoners by the Turkish authorities.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government condemns unreservedly this failed coup. In the aftermath of the coup attempt we have emphasised the need for Turkey to respect human rights, including press freedom, and the rule of law. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also raised concerns about reports of ill-treatment in detention. The Turkish Government’s response to the coup attempt should be lawful and proportionate, and undertaken in line with Turkey’s international obligations.

Turkey: Military Coups

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on allegations of beatings and torture, including rape, in official and unofficial detention centres in Turkey in the period following the failed coup in July 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government condemns unreservedly this failed coup. In the aftermath of the coup attempt we have emphasised the need for Turkey to respect human rights, including press freedom, and the rule of law. The Foreign and Commonwelath Office has also raised concerns about reports of ill-treatment in detention. The Turkish Government’s response to the coup attempt should be lawful and proportionate, and undertaken in line with Turkey’s international obligations.

Diego Garcia: USA

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has refused any request for a US administration flight to land on Diego Garcia.

Sir Alan Duncan: Use of the defence facility in Diego Garcia is governed by the Exchange of Notes between the UK and US, which places treaty obligations on both parties. No request for a US administration flight has been refused under existing procedures.

Diego Garcia

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 15 July 2014 to Question 205172, what assessment his Department carried out prior to July 2014 of the suitability for storing hard copy records in the building used on Diego Garcia.

Sir Alan Duncan: Prior to July 2014 hard copy records were held in storage facilities on Diego Garcia that local immigration officials deemed to be suitable for the task.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on private school fees for children whose parents are stationed (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in 2015-16.

Sir Alan Duncan: The total cost of 179 diplomatic officers stationed in the UK in receipt of school fees is £6,005,124. The total cost of 173 diplomatic officers stationed overseas in receipt of school fees is £6,403.938. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office pays and supports a further 1108 children who are stationed with their parents and educated locally with a total cost of £14,207,444.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions have taken place between the British and Iranian authorities on the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I am deeply concerned by recent reports that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been sentenced without confirmation of the charges against her. We continue to raise our strong concerns about British prisoners in Iran, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, at the highest levels in both London and Tehran. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), did so in her introductory call with Iranian President Rouhani on 9 August. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), similarly raised this case in his introductory call with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 4 August, and followed up in writing on 29 August. Our Ambassador and embassy staff in Tehran raise this case with their Iranian counterparts at every available opportunity, and will continue to press for further details as well as assurances of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s welfare. I met Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family on 8 September to reassure them that we will continue to do all we can.

Diego Garcia

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 15 July 2014 to Question 205172, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the weather in June 2014 on the storage of records in Diego Garcia.

Sir Alan Duncan: Since June 2014, all historic flight records dating from before January 2014 were brought to London where they were digitised and remain in storage. Remaining records in Diego Garcia are now held in a different location.

Islamic State: Genocide

Tom Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the UN Security Council to ensure genocide committed by Daesh is brought to the attention of the International Criminal Court.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her press statement of 8 April 2015. We continue to discuss with international partners, including those on the UN Security Council all legal possibilities for investigating Daesh. On 21 July, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), announced that the United Kingdom will work with our international partners to drive a global campaign to hold Daesh to account for its crimes.

Gibraltar: Spain

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Spanish counterparts on recent incursions by Spanish vessels into British Territorial Waters around Gibraltar.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) has made clear publicly that the UK will continue to protect and promote Gibraltar’s interests. This includes challenging and protesting against all incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The Foreign Secretary has also reaffirmed our sovereignty assurances to Gibraltar never to enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another State against their wishes, nor to enter into a process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: UK Withdrawal from EU

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has spent on legal advice related to the UK voting to leave the EU from (a) the Government Legal Service and (b) external legal firms; and how much he plans to spend on such advice over the next 12 months.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not spent anything on external legal advice related to the UK voting to leave the EU.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Vacancies

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many new job vacancies have been advertised in his Department each month in 2016 to date.

Sir Alan Duncan: Since 31 December 2015, the FCO has advertised 68 new UK-based job vacancies in the Conflict Security and Stability Fund (CSSF) and the Prosperity Fund, which are cross-Whitehall programmes administered by the FCO. These jobs are funded by the CSSF and Prosperity Fund respectively, not by the FCO administrative budget. The jobs are advertised at 5 weekly intervals.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish a list of all secondees to his Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

Sir Alan Duncan: There have been no secondees to the FCO from any of the named companies, or any other consulting firm, in any of the last three financial years.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times his Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Sir Alan Duncan: DELOITTE 2013/14:£69,000 2014/15:£33,0002015/16:£121,000ERNST & YOUNG2013/14:£480,0002014/15:£328,0002015/16:£181,000KPMG2013/14:£140,0002014/15:£116,0002015/16:£132,000PWC2013/14:£355,0002014/15:£377,0002015/16:£1,420,000Consultants2013/14:£1,500,0002014/15:£1,600,0002015/16:£1,100,000 All applicable expenditure with these companies is published as part of HMG's Transparency Agenda at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/foreign-office-spend-over-25000.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have declined to disclose information to the Intelligence and Security Committee under Schedule 1 of the Justice and Security Act 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is unable to find any record of having declined to disclose information to the Intelligence and Security Committee under Schedule 1 of the Justice and Security Act 2013.

Russia: Syria

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on proposals to ban the use by Russia of the SWIFT banking system related to Russia's military action in Syria.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is not considering SWIFT sanctions at this time. Sanctions are one tool in the international community’s wider strategy for resolving the crisis in Syria. We are committed to doing all we can to keep the momentum on the political process so that we can find a long-term solution to the conflict in Syria.We remain deeply concerned about Russia’s role in Syria. We continue to urge Russia to use their influence to restore the Cessation of Hostilities and enable humanitarian access to all those in need, as stipulated by the UN.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have delayed providing information to the Intelligence and Security Committee in order to make a determination as to whether to share that information, as set out in Schedule 1 of the Justice and Security Act 2013.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is unable to find any record of having delayed providing information to the Intelligence and Security Committee in order to make a determination as to whether to share that information, as set out in Schedule 1 of the Justice and Security Act 2013.

Islamic State: Genocide

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what evidence the Government has submitted to the UN Security Council on alleged acts of genocide by Daesh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are not submitting any evidence of possible genocide to the UN Security Council, nor have we been asked to. However, we are working with our partners in the international community to support the gathering of evidence which could be used by courts to hold Daesh to account and bring justice to those who have suffered at the hands of Daesh.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: UK Withdrawal from EU

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many additional employees he plans to hire from outside the Civil Service for the purposes of managing the process of leaving the EU; in what roles those employees will be deployed; over what timescale those employees will be under contract; and what the cost to the public purse such employment will involve.

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the resources required by his Department to manage the process of leaving the EU over the next 12 months.

Mr Nick Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff working on matters related to the EU are on secondment to his Department from the private sector; from which companies such staff are seconded; what roles such staff have in his Department; and what the cost to the public purse will be of such secondment.

Sir Alan Duncan: None.

Iran: Prisons

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the human rights conditions in prisons in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Iran does not allow British officials access to Iranian prisons and as such we are unable to make an assessment of their human rights conditions. The UK recently supported the renewed mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran and regularly calls on Iran to allow them access to the country to carry out their work. Iran has also been identified as a Human Rights Priority Country and the UK regularly calls on Iran to uphold its international human rights obligations.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations the Government has made to the government of Bahrain on reports of human rights abuses in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are concerned by recent developments in Bahrain, and have responded robustly in public and private. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) issued a statement on 17 July expressing concerns about the Bahraini High Administrative Court’s decision to dissolve the main Bahraini Shia opposition political society Al Wefaq. In addition, we have issued two further statements on 22 and 15 June expressing concerns about the nationality of Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim being revoked, the suspension of Al Wefaq, the apparent prevention of human rights activists travelling to Geneva and the re-arrest of Nabeel Rajab. We regularly discuss human rights concerns and reform efforts with the Government of Bahrain, I did so during the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting in Bahrain on 2 June.

Islamic State: Genocide

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43364, what steps the Government has taken to work with international partners to hold Daesh to account for its crimes since 21 July 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: On 21 July, The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), announced that the UK will work with international partners to drive a global campaign to hold Daesh to account for its crimes. Over the summer, Ministers and officials have been working with international partners in the Middle East, Europe, on the UN Security Council and more widely, to establish the character and scope of this campaign. We will take forward action on it in New York later this month.

Iraq: Genocide

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2016 to Question 31582, whether the Government has offered support to the government of Iraq on collecting forensic evidence of genocide committed against the Yazidis and other religious minority groups.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We continue to condemn in the strongest terms the appalling crimes that Daesh has committed in Iraq against Christians, Yezidis and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population.On 21 July, The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), announced that the UK will work with international partners to drive a global campaign to hold Daesh to account for its crimes. Over the summer, Ministers and officials have been working with international partners, including the Government of Iraq, to establish the character and scope of this campaign. We will take forward action on it in New York later this month.

Saudi Arabia: Foreign Relations

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings have taken place between ministers of his Department and their Saudi Arabian counterparts since 25 March 2015; and at how many of those meetings concerns were discussed about alleged breaches of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen by air strikes.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of reports of alleged violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) by actors in the conflict and take these very seriously. It is important that all sides conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into all incidents where it is alleged that IHL has been breached.We regularly raise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military Coalition. We continue to monitor the situation closely, seeking further information where appropriate.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) raised the issue of IHL compliance with his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 22 August. I also raised it during my meeting with Foreign Minister Al Jubeir on 25 August in Jeddah. I also held an open meeting for parliamentarians on 7 September with Foreign Minister Al Jubeir where members from across the House raised questions, including alleged breaches of IHL.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) consultants and (b) seconded staff (i) are working and (ii) have been recruited to work at his Department in the last three years; and from which (A) companies, (B) departments and (C) other organisations such staff were recruited or seconded.

Sir Alan Duncan: A) ConsultantsThe data that the FCO holds on consultancy projects is tracked by project rather than by individual. Consultants are not always appointed as individuals, rather the project in question is delivered via a company, which allocates the work to experts according to requirements. It is not therefore possible to provide, at proportionate cost, data on the number of consultants recruited to work at the FCO in the last three years. We can however confirm that the FCO has spent the following on consultancy projects in the last three years:Financial Year 2015/16 - £1.1mFinancial Year 2014/15 - £1.6mFinancial Year 2013/14 - £1.5mThe FCO’s consultancy expenditure is primarily for specialist advice that supports our diplomacy and where ‘in-house’ expertise is not available, such as de-mining surveys.B) SecondmentsWith regards to staff on loan from other Government Departments and those seconded from the private sector, the numbers are as follows, based on the year the loan started:In 2016 (to date) 147 Civil Servants, 1 public servant, and 1 secondee from the private sector have joined the FCO on loan.In 2015, 161 Civil Servants, and 3 public servants joined the FCO on loan. There were no secondments from the private sector.In 2014, 149 Civil Servants, 1 public servant and 1 secondee from the private sector joined the FCO on loan.Due to the small numbers of loans from individual organisations, it is not possible to give a breakdown of all the organisations from which they were loaned, without risking identification of individuals in breach of data protection rules. However the largest numbers of officers loaned to the FCO in all three years came from:2016 2015 2014DFID 21 25 11Home Office 20 20 20Cabinet Office 10 9 20HM Treasury 11 11 10MOD 13 14 12BIS 14 12 14DECC 12 4 10MOJ 6 14 9Fewer than five individuals a year were loaned from any other department. The public servants loaned to the FCO were all Parliamentary staff or Police Officers.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Resignations

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many of his Department's staff have resigned in the last six months.

Sir Alan Duncan: Thirty eight UK-based staff have resigned from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in the last six months. Details are not held centrally for local staff.

Somalia: Females

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many women's organisations the Minister for Middle East and Africa met during his recent visit to Somalia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In my recent visit to Somalia on 2 August I met with representatives from Committee of Goodwill Ambassadors for Female Participation; a group tasked by the Federal Government of Somalia to identify mechanisms to deliver a Somalia commitment to increase women’s representation in Parliament, through the electoral process planned for October this year. I used the opportunity to emphasise UK support for the work of the Committee and the UK’s continued commitment to women and girls in Somalia.

Sheikh Isa Qassim

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Bahrain on the decision to revoke Sheikh Isa Qassim's Bahraini citizenship.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We issued a statement on 22 June, expressing concern that the nationality of Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim is being revoked. We have raised our concerns at senior levels in the Bahraini government and continue to strongly encourage Bahrain to live up to its international human rights obligations. An official from our Embassy in Bahrain has attended both of his hearings so far. I understand that his next hearing will be on 15 September. We will continue to follow his case closely.

Tanzania: Christianity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Tanzanian counterpart on steps to prosecute those responsible for the recent attack on the Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University in Lushoto.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are concerned by the reports of an attack on Sebastian Kolowa Memorial University and officials in our embassy in Tanzania are following up with the Tanzanian authorities.

Middle East and North Africa: Refugees

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on how many people fleeing persecution or extreme violence in (a) the Middle East and (b) North Africa have been offered temporary residence and respite in (a) the United Arab Emirates, (b) Kuwait, (c) Qatar and (d) Saudi Arabia in the last 12 months.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK actively engages with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, on humanitarian and development assistance. The Gulf States are not signatories to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951, and there is no legal refugee status in these countries. However, the Gulf States continue to contribute generously to humanitarian support for the Syria crisis and we recognise and welcome the substantial contribution made by Gulf states to the humanitarian aid response for Syria and the numbers of Syrians already in the Gulf. The Gulf states are now home to almost one million Syrians, and have pledged more than $3 billion in humanitarian assistance. Kuwait co-hosted the London Donor Conference in February 2016 where Gulf states pledged $739 million.

Turkey: EU Accession

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on Turkey's accession to the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: As and when candidate countries have met the requirements for accession in full, it will be for those countries and European Union members at the time to decide on membership. That point remains some way off.The UK remains committed to driving reform, embedding stability and addressing shared challenges such as security and migration in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The UK will continue to support countries committed to the accession process in meeting the necessary requirements.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Saudi Arabia on the cases of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain concerned about the cases of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdallah al-Zaher and continue to follow them closely. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) raised concerns with the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir during their meeting on 7 September. Our expectation remains that they will not be executed. Our Embassy in Riyadh also frequently raise our concerns.

Nabeel Rajab

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Bahrain on the case of Nabeel Rajab in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government has frank discussions with the Government of Bahrain about human rights concerns both in public and in private. We urge the Bahraini authorities to respect the rights of all its citizens, and call on them to protect the universal rights of freedom of expression. The former Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) spoke to the Bahraini Foreign Minister, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa on 14 June about his case. An official from our Embassy in Bahrain has attended all his hearings to date, including most recently on 5 September. We will continue to monitor his case closely and raise concerns with the Government of Bahrain.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Renewable Energy

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will increase investment in decentralised renewable energy in areas where it will benefit the world's poorest people.

James Wharton: The UK Government is playing a leading role in improving energy access in developing countries, including through our Energy Africa campaign which is working with solar firms to help them access the finance they need to expand their businesses, create jobs and help reach millions of people in Africa without electricity access.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what innovation start-up grants are available for charities that undertake water sanitation projects.

James Wharton: The Department for International Development offers a wide range of funding opportunities and grants for charities and not-for-profit organisations interested in delivering poverty reduction-related activities, including water and sanitation projects.These include UK Aid Direct, which is an adaptive, demand-led, fund designed to support small and medium sized national and international Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to reduce poverty through service delivery, livelihoods and security and justice; and the Global Innovation Fund which has been established to support innovators to develop, test and scale-up innovations with the potential to have transformational social impact on the millions of people living on less than $5 a day. A complete list of funding opportunities can be found on DFID’s website at: https://www.gov.uk/international-development-funding.

Overseas Aid

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on meeting the target of committing 0.7 per cent of national income to international aid.

Rory Stewart: The UK has met the international commitment to spend 0.7% of gross national income on Official Development Assistance in recent years and we will continue to do so

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings at official level her Department has had with the Department for Exiting the EU in which her Department's budget was discussed.

Rory Stewart: We hold regular meetings with colleagues across Whitehall including with the Department for Exiting the EU.

Department for International Development: Public Expenditure

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what meetings at official level her Department has had with the Department for International Trade in which her Department's budget was discussed.

Rory Stewart: We hold regular meetings with colleagues across Whitehall including with the Department for International Trade.

Department for International Development: Secondment

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many full-time equivalent staff of her Department, at what grades, have been seconded to the Department for International Trade.

Rory Stewart: Two DFID staff will soon be moving to the Department for International Trade on loan for a period of 2 years taking up Senior Civil Service roles. We expect that several DFID staff will be strong candidates for other roles in the new Department currently being advertised.

South Sudan: Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to page 135 of her Department's Annual Reports and Accounts 2015-16, for what reasons the budget allocation to South Sudan has decreased from £188,184 in 2015-16 to £145,000 in 2017-18.

James Wharton: DFID’s allocations are continually reviewed to ensure development assistance is used most effectively to achieve poverty reduction, in the national interest and responds to changing needs. The precise way in which DFID spends will reflect changing demands while at the same time protecting ministerial spending commitments.

Africa: Rubella

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to help tackle rubella in Africa.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to help tackle rubella contracted by children in Africa.

James Wharton: Rubella is a vaccine-preventable disease. The UK is the largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which protects children from rubella through the Measles-Rubella vaccine. By the end of 2015, Gavi had immunised 164 million children with measles-rubella vaccine.From 2016 to 2020 Gavi will greatly scale up the Measles-Rubella vaccine, averting more than 1 million future deaths, and greatly reducing the number of children in Africa who suffer from Congenital Rubella Syndrome each year. In total, the UK will invest £1.44bn in Gavi between 2016 and 2020, to immunise 76 million children and save 1.4 million lives.The Department for International Development supports countries to strengthen their health care systems so that they can provide good quality services to prevent and treat all the main illnesses affecting children, including Congenital Rubella Syndrome.

Department for Education

Children in Care: Warwickshire

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were in the care of the local authority in (a) Warwickshire and (b) Rugby constituency in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Edward Timpson: There were 1,010 children looked after by Warwickshire local authority during the year ending 31 March 2014, and 995 during the year ending 31 March 2015. This information is published in table LAB1 of the statistical release, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2014-to-2015. Information on the numbers of children looked after on the 31 March of each year is published in table LAA1 of the same release. There were 695 children looked after in Warwickshire on 31 March 2014 and 690 on 31 March 2015. Figures for the year ending 31 March 2016 will be published on 29 September 2016.Numbers of looked after children are not available at a constituency level.

Schools: Asylum

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what role Ofsted has in its (a) reports and (b) other work in monitoring the level of integration of asylum seekers and refugees in schools.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted’s role is to inspect and report on the education provided by a school for all pupils, including all groups of pupils. Where asylum seekers make up part of the cohort, this will be included in the contextual information about the school.

Overseas Students: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students from other EU member states who plan to start their studies in the UK in autumn 2017 will be considered eligible for student loans.

Joseph Johnson: The UK has a long-established higher education system that supports, and therefore attracts, the brightest minds, at all stages of their careers. Existing rules on EU and other EEA students remain in force and reassurances have been given for those starting their courses in 2016/17. Future arrangements for EU students wishing to study in the UK will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK's relationship with the EU.

Schools: Finance

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department issues guidance on the proportion of a school's annual budget it considers prudent for a school to hold as a cash balance.

Nick Gibb: For maintained schools, local authorities have devolved responsibility for their funding and determine locally their balance control mechanisms. For academies, the Trustees determine the appropriate level of reserves that the Trust should hold in accordance with their responsibilities under Charity Law. The Department monitors the overall level of balances across the sector and keeps this under review.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to progress reforms to Disabled Student Allowances.

Joseph Johnson: The Government set out, in a Written Ministerial Statement dated 2 December 2015, a number of reforms to Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs). These changes apply to students making an application for DSAs for the first time from the 2016/17 academic year. The aim of these reforms is to ensure that HE Institutions are properly adhering to their Equality Act 2010 duties to make reasonable adjustments to ensure higher education is accessible for disabled students, while re-balancing support between HE providers and DSAs and improving value for money. The changes are as follows:Institutions are expected to take primary responsibility for less specialist non-medical support roles, with the exception of sighted guides for which DSAs will retain primary responsibility.DSAs funding will remain primary for the most specialist non-medical help support, with the exception of specialist transcription services for which HE institutions are expected to take primary responsibility.DSAs funding is not available where specialist accommodation is provided by the institution or their agent, other than by exception. HE institutions should no longer pass any additional costs for accommodation on to the student.Devices for printing and scanning will continue to be funded through DSAs, but institutions are expected to reduce the need for their purchase through improved library services and access to printing and scanning services.Standard computer peripherals and other accessories are now funded by exception only. Laptop carry cases continue to be provided as standard to help students protect their equipment. Students who are in dispute with their HE provider over the making of reasonable adjustments are able to invoke a new Exceptional Case Process to consider DSA support in the interim.

Apprentices: Taxation

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy on companies which pay into other industry levy schemes.

Robert Halfon: The apprenticeship levy will enable us to improve the technical and professional skills of the workforce. It will encourage employers to invest in their apprentices and take on more, by putting apprenticeship funding in their hands. The apprenticeship levy is economy wide. It will apply to all employers with a pay bill over £3,000,000 including those who already pay into an existing levy. We are aware that industry is concerned about the potential impact of paying two levies. We are working with the relevant Industry Training Boards for the construction, engineering construction and film industries. They will consult their members on potential future changes to their existing arrangements.

Teachers: Veterans

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on expanding the Troops to Teachers scheme.

Nick Gibb: The September 2016 cohort of Troops to Teachers is the last to be delivered under the current contract by the University of Brighton. Future options for Service leavers to train as teachers are currently being considered.

Pre-school Education: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's funding of free early education of the conclusions of the report of the Family and Childcare Trust, Driving High Quality Childcare: the role of local authorities, published on 11 August 2016, on the proportion of local authorities which use such funding to encourage graduate-led care.

Caroline Dinenage: We recognise that high quality childcare improves children’s long-term educational outcomes and helps close the gap in attainment between the most disadvantaged children and their peers. We want to enable all children, whatever their background and individual needs, to access high quality early education. Investment has an important part to play in achieving continued improvements in quality. We have committed over £1 billion more per year by 2019-20 to fund the early years entitlements – this includes £300 million per year from 2017-18 for a significant increase to the rate paid for the two, three and four year old entitlements. We know that high quality childcare has the most significant impact on those from disadvantaged homes. Therefore it is important that funding is targeted at those areas and children who need it most. This is why we propose an additional needs factor in the early years national funding formula, on which we are currently consulting. This will channel funding towards local authorities with a higher relative proportion of children with additional needs. Whilst we know funding plays a role in the quality of childcare, we also recognise the importance of the early years workforce in improving quality and delivering better outcomes for children. That is why we are committed to publishing an early years workforce strategy. The Government currently delivers early years initial teacher training places in England. We fund eligible graduates to undertake the training, and provide student bursaries. Information about training routes is available on the Get into Teaching website at: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

Children: Communication Skills

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure that (a) all children start their first year of school with the expected levels of language and communication skills and (b) the gap in those skills between children aged five from richer and poorer backgrounds is closed.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government recognises a key part of raising the standard of education for all children, regardless of background, is to ensure they receive a good level of development in literacy and numeracy before they start school at age five, which is why in 2010 we extended the free entitlement to 15 hours for all three and four year olds The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework sets the prime areas of learning which early years providers must follow. This includes a focus on communication and language. The Early Years Foundation stage is published on gov.uk and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335504/EYFS_framework_from_1_September_2014__with_clarification_note.pdf The 2014-15 EYFS Profile results tell us that the proportion of children achieving a good level of development continues to increase – 66 % in 2015, compared to 60% in 2014 and 52% in 2013. The EYFS Profile results also show that more than 80% of children are reaching the expected communication and language skills by age five. A higher proportion of children eligible for free school meals are achieving a good level of development – 51% in 2015 compared to 45% in 2014. Although the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers is narrowing, we recognise there is still some way to go. The quality of early education is improving, the numbers of qualified staff have risen, the numbers of graduates in the workforce continues to rise, and a record number of providers are rated good or outstanding, with 86% of providers currently on the Early Years Register judged good or outstanding for overall effectiveness at 31 March 2016. The quality of the workforce continues to rise with 87% of staff in full day care settings now qualified to level 3 (equivalent level of study to A-level). To improve the quality of the workforce further, we have introduced early years teachers who must meet the same entry qualification requirements as teachers of older children. We have also introduced an early years pupil premium to help providers support the learning and development of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure incentives and support packages meet the needs of small businesses in order to increase their ability to take on apprentices.

Robert Halfon: We want to continue to support small employers to take on younger apprentices and so propose that employers with fewer than 50 people working for them will be able to train 16 to 18 year old apprentices at no cost.We propose to extend this to small employers who take on a 19 to 24 year old apprentice who was formerly in care or has a Local Authority Education, Health and Care plan. The government will pay 100% of the apprenticeship training costs for these individuals. Further funding detail and provisional funding rates were published in August.Since April, employers have not been required to pay employer National Insurance contributions for almost all apprentices aged under 25 up to the Upper Secondary Threshold (£827 per week in 2016-17).This change makes the business case for apprenticeships even stronger, reducing the cost of employing a young apprentice by over £500 a year on a salary of £12,000, and over £1,000 a year on a salary of £16,000.

Schools: Admissions

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the frequency with which children move (a) house and (b) school.

Edward Timpson: The Department does not hold any information specifically on the frequency with which a child moves house or school. Via the termly school census we collect pupil level data, which includes pupil home address and school entry and leaving dates. The National Pupil Database (NPD) is populated with data from the school census and other pupil level collections. To the extent that data are collected termly, it is possible to use NPD data to provide data on home and school moves. However, such analysis has not been carried out to date and developing a sufficiently robust approach and quality assuring the results could only be completed at disproportionate cost.

Primary Education

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2016 to Question 42895, on primary education, what proportion of the 644 teachers and head teachers who responded to the consultation answered no to question one of that consultation.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held by the Department. As set out in the answer to PQ 35933, an analysis of the consultation responses is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-national-curriculum-primary-assessment-and-accountability. We have worked closely with teachers and head teachers in order to develop the primary assessment reforms introduced this year. We will continue to listen to and engage with the profession as the details of the new primary assessment arrangements are finalised.

Languages: Education

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the adequacy of the level of investment in language subjects at school in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Government has invested some £5 million since 2011, funding projects in schools to raise standards of teaching in languages and to equip teachers to teach the new and more demanding languages curriculum. We continue to offer generous bursaries for languages trainees, with up to £25,000 for those with a first class or 2:1 degree. In addition, from September 2016 there will be a programme of school-led teacher subject specialism training in modern foreign languages for qualified teachers who wish to develop skills in an additional language to their current specialism, and to provide refresher training for former languages teachers to return to teaching. This funding totals £1.5 million in the current academic year.

Languages: GCE A-level

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to encourage more young people to take A-level language subjects.

Nick Gibb: Modern foreign languages are one of the Russell Group’s facilitating subjects – A levels which open doors to more degrees and professions than other subjects. We are incentivising the take-up of these A levels in the 16-19 performance tables through the facilitating subject measure, and are encouraging the best language graduates to enter the teaching profession, through financial incentives such as a bursary of £25,000 for trainees with a first class or 2:1 relevant degree.

Students: Refugees

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides to students with refugee status.

Edward Timpson: Holding answer received on 07 September 2016



The Government is wholly committed to ensuring that refugees who are resettled in the UK receive appropriate support and have a positive experience while they remain in the UK. Children with refugee or humanitarian protection status have access to the education system in the same way as citizen children.Many pupils with refugee status will be classed as having English as an additional language (EAL). Current school funding arrangements enable local authorities to allocate a proportion of their funding to schools on the basis of the number of pupils in each school who have EAL, and who have been in the school system for a maximum of three years. Local authorities, in agreement with their schools forum, have the freedom to set the pupil rate for this, based on local circumstances.Furthermore, pupils who have been registered for free school meals at any point in the last six years attract additional funding to the schools they attend in the form of the Pupil Premium. This is worth £1,320 per annum for each eligible pupil in primary school, and £935 per annum for those in secondary school. Pupils who are looked after by the local authority, including unaccompanied refugee children, and those who have left care through adoption or other specified routes also attract the Pupil Premium Plus, at the higher rate of £1,900 per annum. Schools have flexibility over how they use the funding to improve the educational outcomes of their pupil premium-eligible pupils, and are held to account through the focus in Ofsted inspections and the school performance tables on the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

Department for Education: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps her Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Department for Education, and a wide range of other interested parties.

Schools: Finance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide a regional breakdown of her Department's spending on schools since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The main revenue funding allocations from this department to schools and local authorities comprise the dedicated schools grant (DSG), pupil premium, education services grant (ESG), universal infant free school meals (UIFSM), PE & Sport premium and Year 7 catch-up grant. Details of these allocations to all schools or local authorities for financial or academic years 2010 to 2017 (dependent on each grant), can be found at the links below:2010-11 data:DSG: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/archive/a0064860/final-allocation-of-dedicated-schools-grant-2010-11 2011-12 data:DSG: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http:/www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0070267/dsg-and-pupil-premium-allocations-for-2011-12Pupil Premium: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0075963/pupil-premium-2011-12 2012-13 data:DSG and Pupil Premium: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2013pupilpremium/a00200465/schools-funding-settlement-2012-13 2013-14 data:DSG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2013-to-2014Pupil Premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tablesESG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-services-grant 2014-15 data:DSG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-2014-to-2015Pupil Premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2014-to-2015-final-allocationsESG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-services-grant-2014-to-2015PE & Sport (academic year): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pe-and-sport-premium-allocations-for-2014-to-2015UIFSM (academic year): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-provisional-funding-allocations-2014-to-2015Year 7 Catch-up premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-7-catch-up-premium-2014-to-2015-allocations 2015-16 data:DSG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016Pupil Premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocationsESG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-services-grant-2015-to-2016UIFSM (academic year): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-funding-allocations-2015-to-2016PE & Sport (academic year): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pe-and-sport-premium-conditions-of-grant-for-2015-to-2016Year 7 Catch-up Premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-7-catch-up-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations  2016-17 data (for those that are available):DSG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2016-to-2017Pupil Premium: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2016-to-2017ESG: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-services-grant-esg-2016-to-2017UIFSM (academic year provisional): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals-uifsm-funding-allocations-2016-to-2017  Capital allocations for devolved grants allocated to local authorities from the financial year 2011/12 to present are provided below. In addition to these allocations the Department for Education has the following nation-wide programmes for which we do not publish regional spend figures:Building Schools For The Future71 AcademiesFramework AcademiesMulti Academy Trust School Condition AllocationCondition Improvement FundFree Schools/ University Technical Colleges and Studio SchoolsPriority School Building Programme 1Priority School Building Programme 2 Basic Need & TBNAllocation data for all LAs from 11/12 onwards can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations ConditionAllocation data for all LAs from 11/12 onwards can be found here:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110306040545/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/a0070303/schools-capital-allocations-for-2011-12http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/a00200794/schools-capital-allocations-for-2012-13http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/funding/a00222251/capital-fund-allocations-mar-13http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140322133531/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocationshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations UIFSMhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations-for-basic-need-and-infant-free-school-meals

Department for Education: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times her Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Caroline Dinenage: The table below shows a summary of the number of times the department has used (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) Other consulting firms in the last three financial years. The table also summarises the work activity and the total payments made to the organisations in each of the financial years. For PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG the data reflects all activities which includes consultancy and professional services & advice. PwC 2013-142014-152015-16Number of time used462Work undertakenPension SystemAdult Services Framework PensionsAdult Services Framework Pensions valuationsPayments made£190,261£453,081£661,231  Deloitte 2013-142014-152015-16Number of time used7811Work undertakenAdoption Children's Trust Accounts & ConsolidationAdoption Children's Trust Accounts & ConsolidationSocial care Childcare review Innovation programme Accounts & ConsolidationPayments made£2,132,270£7,050,090£ 8,760,674  Ernst & Young 2013-142014-152015-16Number of time used111Work undertakenFinancial Advisory ServicesFinancial Advisory ServicesFinancial Advisory ServicesPayments made£471,416£608,759£343,279  KPMG 2013-142014-152015-16Number of time used123Work undertakenConsultancyTeachers AVC report ConsultancyAccreditation System ConsultancyPayments made£91,321£30,880£3,298,996  Other Consultants 2013-142014-152015-16Number of time used197215168Work undertakenToo many to listToo many to listToo many to listPayments made£2,456,852£4,274,958£2,755,213

Disability: Children

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that local authorities fulfil their duty to provide short breaks for disabled children.

Edward Timpson: The Department’s Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Advisory Team is continuing to offer support and challenge to local authorities to help make sure they meet all of their statutory requirements on SEND, and that quality continues to improve. There are also opportunities through the new Ofsted/Care Quality Commission SEND inspections framework for local areas to consider how well they are providing for the education, health and care needs of those with SEND, including their need for short breaks services. Eight local area inspections have taken place since May 2016. Between April 2015 and March 2016, we awarded £250,555 to the Short Breaks Partnership (a consortium made up of Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children, and KIDS) to provide information and advice to those involved in designing, commissioning, providing, and taking up short breaks for disabled children. The Department for Education has allocated £200 million funding over the next four years to support innovation and improvement to children’s social work practice. We are currently considering how we can use some of this funding to support local innovative approaches to short breaks for disabled children and their families and for making services more accessible.

UK Commission for Employment and Skills

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2016 to Question 40241, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the reconstituting of her Department on the continuation of (a) the Employer Skills Survey, (b) the Employer Perspectives Survey, (c) Labour Market Information and (d) other research products previously produced by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.

Robert Halfon: My written statement of 21 July [HCWS121] confirmed that management of the Employer Skills Survey, the Employer Perspectives Survey and the LMI (Labour Market Information) for All Portal would be transferred to the Department for Education.The contract for maintaining the LMI for All portal has been re-let to the Institute for Employment Research, the Employer Perspectives Survey is being prepared for publication and we will shortly begin commissioning of the Employer Skills Survey.

Apprentices

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to simplify the application process for securing an apprenticeship.

Robert Halfon: Apprenticeships are paid jobs with quality training, and dependent upon employers offering apprenticeships, they set any entry criteria and make selection decisions. There will always be competition for the best apprenticeship places, as there is for the best universities. Apprenticeships vacancies in England can be found at the Find an Apprenticeship pages on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship. The site offers information and guidance about finding and applying for vacancies advertised here – not all apprenticeships are advertised on this site. A new ‘Get In Go Far’ campaign launched on 16 May aimed at 14-24 year-olds, their parents, teachers and employers. This major four-year campaign aims to influence public perceptions, awareness and attitudes towards apprenticeships as a route into a successful career, encouraging more young people to apply and more employers to offer apprenticeship opportunities. As of 24 August, there were over 560,000 visitors to the campaign website, with an average 35% of these being driven to view opportunities on the Find an Apprenticeship website. The National Careers Service provides independent, professional advice on careers, skills and the labour market, including on the benefits of apprenticeships and how to apply for vacancies. The service is available on-line, over the telephone, via web chat, e-mail, text and online forums. A face-to-face service is available to adults aged 19 and over (or those aged 18 years plus if on out-of-work benefits or offenders in custody). The statutory guidance for schools on careers guidance and inspiration was updated and published in March 2015 and is now in force. This is clear that schools should give employers and other providers delivering apprenticeships the opportunity to inform pupils directly, on school premises, about what they offer. It emphasises that apprenticeships and university offer two equally effective routes to a successful career.

Financial Services: Education

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the teaching of financial education in schools.

Edward Timpson: The national ‎curriculum sets the expectation that pupils study financial education through a variety of subjects. The Citizenship programmes of study for key stages 3 and 4 (for 11-16 year olds) include teaching of the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and the need to understand financial risk. The mathematics programmes of study have been strengthened to give 5-16 year olds the necessary mathematical skills they need to make important financial decisions. The primary mathematics curriculum places a stronger emphasis on essential knowledge, including the arithmetic underpinning calculations with money and percentages. The new mathematics GCSE is more challenging and demanding than before, and illustrates the essential concepts that all pupils must learn. For example, setting up, solving and interpreting the answers in growth and decay problems, including compound interest and working with general iterative processes.

Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Skills Funding Agency proposals to reduce 16-18 apprenticeship funding on the number of 16-18 apprenticeships delivered.

Robert Halfon: The introduction of the levy will mean that many more employers will offer many more apprenticeships opportunities to people of all ages and backgrounds than they would have otherwise done. Our funding proposals will introduce a simpler pricing system with a maximum cost for each type of apprenticeship, regardless of age or location. Our proposals for how apprenticeships will be paid for in England in the future include incentives for taking on 16-18 year old apprentices - funding 100 per cent of apprenticeship training costs for small employers (with fewer than 50 staff) that don’t pay the levy when they employ 16-18 year old apprentices; and providing a £1,000 cash payment to both the employer and training provider to help with the extra costs of supporting apprentices in this age group. As a result of the levy we will be investing £2.5 billion in apprenticeships; that’s double what was spent on apprenticeships in 2010-11. Employers will have an incentive to employ apprentices to maximise the use of their levy funds and they will have control over funding for apprenticeships training. The generous co-investment rate will help them if they want to take on more apprentices than covered by their levy funds.

Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Skills Funding Agency on the potential effect of its proposal to introduce a register of apprenticeship providers on the ability of lead providers to sub-contract to smaller providers.

Robert Halfon: We have engaged with the Skills Funding Agency on the proposals to create a Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers in England. The intention of the proposals is to support a significant increase in the quality of apprenticeships and to create an employer-led apprenticeship system. The Skills Funding Agency published their proposal on the Register on 12 August https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-apprenticeship-training-providers. Training providers and interested organisations were given the opportunity to comment on the proposals in a survey which closed on Monday 5 September. The Skills Funding Agency is now considering feedback on the consultation.

Apprentices

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of apprenticeships delivered by lead providers which sub-contract to smaller providers in each of the last five years.

Robert Halfon: Apprenticeship Starts by sub-contracting provider (2010/11 to 2014/15) Year2010-11a2011-122012-132013-142014-15bNo subcontractor389,500391,600381,420328,990359,540Sub-contracted provision167,710128,970128,800111,440140,360Total457,200520,600510,200440,400499,900   It should be noted that:a) Figures for 2011/12 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years as a Single Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data collection system has been introduced. Small technical changes have been made in the way learners from more than one provision type are counted, leading to a removal of duplicate learners and a reduction in overall learner numbers of approximately 2 per cent. More information on the Single ILR is available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140107201041/http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C05DCDD5-67EE-4AD0-88B9-BEBC8F7F3300/0/SILR_Effects_SFR_Learners_June12.pdfb) 1,500 apprenticeship starts could not be allocated to either category for the 2014-15 academic year.d) Total volumes are rounded to the nearest 100; all other data is rounded to the nearest 10.1 Sub-contracted provision covers those starts for which any portion of the aim is sub-contracted out to a partner provider.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will hold discussions with HM Treasury on the potential to fully fund apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds from savings accrued as a result of the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy.

Robert Halfon: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with large employers on the effect on their take-up of apprenticeships of the new funding arrangements proposed for apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds, published on 12 August 2016.

Robert Halfon: We have engaged thousands of employers and training providers throughout the development of the apprenticeship funding reforms and continue to do so. This engagement helped to shape the funding policy proposals for England from May 2017, published on 12 August. A survey seeking detailed views from employers and providers closed on 5 September, and the feedback will inform the final policy, which we aim to publish in October. We expect that the introduction of the levy will mean that many more employers will offer many more apprenticeships opportunities to people of all ages and backgrounds than they would have otherwise done. Employers will have an incentive to employ apprentices to maximise the use of their levy funds and they will have control over funding for apprenticeships training. The generous co-investment rate will help them if they want to take on more apprentices than covered by their levy funds.

Further Education

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the impact assessment for her Department's proposals for changes in funding rates for colleges and providers, published on 12 August 2016.

Robert Halfon: We have engaged thousands of employers and training providers throughout the development of the apprenticeship funding reforms and continue to do so. This engagement helped to shape the funding policy proposals for England from May 2017, published on 12 August. A survey seeking detailed views from employers and providers closed on 5 September. Feedback from the survey will inform our understanding of the potential impact and final policy decisions will be made in due course. We aim to publish final policy in October 2016.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a statement about the implications for apprenticeship take-up by 16 to 18 year olds of her Department's proposals for changes in funding rates for colleges and providers, published on 12 August 2016.

Robert Halfon: Apprenticeships are paid jobs that give young people the chance to reach their potential; acquire transferable skills much valued in the labour market and the apprentice does not have to contribute to the costs of their learning. Our proposals for how apprenticeships will be paid for in England in the future include incentives for employers taking on younger apprentices - providing a £1,000 cash payment to both the employer and training provider to help with the extra costs of supporting apprentices in this age group and funding 100 per cent of apprenticeship training costs for small employers (with fewer than 50 staff) when they employ 16-18 year old apprentices. In addition to apprenticeships, our funding priorities focus on providing young adults with the skills they need for sustainable work, including through traineeships; skills training for unemployed adults and English and maths for all those who need it, recognising that these are essential requirements for sustainable employment. We are encouraging a wide range of people into apprenticeships – our ‘Get In Go Far’ campaign is aimed at 14-24 year-olds, their parents, teachers and employers. This major four-year campaign aims to influence public perceptions, awareness and attitudes towards apprenticeships as a route into a successful career, encouraging more young people to apply and more employers to offer apprenticeship opportunities. The National Careers Service provides independent, professional advice on careers, skills and the labour market, including on the benefits of apprenticeships and how to apply for vacancies.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the proportionate level of effect of her Department's proposals for changes in apprenticeship funding, published on 12 August 2016, on (a) small employers, (b) young people in deprived areas and (c) apprenticeships offered in the service and tourism sectors.

Robert Halfon: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been allocated from the Condition Improvement Fund for 2016-17; and how much from that Fund was allocated in 2015-16.

Edward Timpson: On 26 March 2015, the Department for Education announced the outcome of the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) 2015 to 2016. 1,407 projects across 1,127 academies and sixth-form colleges were approved funding of £383 million. This includes institutions successful following appeals in July 2015. We announced the outcome of the CIF for 2016 to 2017 on 24 March 2016. Funding of £435 million was approved for 1,276 projects across 1,030 academies and sixth-form colleges. The information can be viewed on the government’s website here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2015-to-2016-outcome https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2016-to-2017-outcome

Children: Day Care

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the ability of maintained nursery schools and children's centres to remain financially viable following recent changes to their funding.

Caroline Dinenage: There have been no changes to the funding of maintained nursery schools and children centres. We are currently consulting on the introduction of an Early Years National Funding Formula to ensure a fairer allocation of early years funding to local authorities. The consultation document sets out our intention to provide supplementary funding for maintained nursery schools for at least two years in order to provide stability to the nursery school sector while they explore how to become more sustainable in the longer term, including exploiting the scope for efficiencies. Local authorities have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. Local authorities must meet their statutory duties on children’s centres from funding that forms part of the Department for Communities and Local Government Business Rates Retention Scheme. In addition, other Government funding, including that for public health, adult skills training and troubled families may also be used locally to support services delivered wholly, or in part, through children’s centres. Local authorities must consult fully before any significant changes are made to children’s centre services.

Children: Day Care

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) nursery schools, (b) day-care facilities and (c) children's centres in (i) Birmingham, Erdington constituency, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) the UK have (A) declared insolvency and (B) closed due to funding shortages in each of the last three years.

Caroline Dinenage: Nursery Schools The Department for Education's register of educational establishments in England and Wales indicates that from the 31 August 2013 to 31 August 2016 eight maintained nursery schools closed, and 10 amalgamated or merged with another school. No closures were recorded in Birmingham, Erdington or the West Midlands. The Department does not collect information on the reasons for the closure of nursery schools. Local authorities have a duty to secure sufficient childcare in their local area. In consultation with their Schools Forum, they are responsible for deciding how best to distribute early years funding across their locality. There is a presumption against the closure of any nursery school. The local authority must consult on any proposed closures, clearly demonstrating the rationale for so doing.  Day-care facilities The Department does not collect data on the number of childcare businesses that have closed. The Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey shows that the childcare market continues to expand. The number of registered places in full day care settings rose by ten per cent between 2011 and 2013. The long term increase in the number of full day care providers continued in 2013. In total there were 17,900 full day care settings in 2013 (compared to 17,600 in 2011). Children’s centres Local authorities have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. The Department does not collect information on the reasons for the closure of children’s centres. According to data supplied by local authorities, a total of 259 children’s centres closed in the calendar years, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Forty nine of these closures were in the West Midlands. None of these were in Birmingham.

Academies

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies have been removed from their multi academy trust on the initiative of (a) Regional School Commissioner and (b) Minister in each of the last three years.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the procedures are for people involved in assessing applications for the Condition Improvement Fund to contact applicants seeking further information when required.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Academies

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43735, how many of the applications received in 2015 and subsequently approved the Regional School Commissioner initially recommended to be declined.

Edward Timpson: The Department’s centralised records do not hold data on converter academy applications that may have previously been declined.

Education Funding Agency: Staff

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff at the Education Funding Agency assist with assessing applications to the Condition Improvement Fund; and how many staff assisted with such applications in each of the last three years.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications were made for funding for substantial building repair work at (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in 2015-16; and how many such applications for such funding there were in 2016-17.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Education Funding Agency: Staff

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions the Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency met her predecessor in the last two years.

Edward Timpson: As Chief Executive of the EFA, Peter Lauener has been a board member of the Department for Education since September 2012. As part of these roles, he regularly met the previous Secretary of State. The information on the number of occasions in the last two years when the Chief Executive of the EFA met the Secretary of State’s predecessor is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Academies: Closures

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many academies judged inadequate had their funding agreement terminated and were closed in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: All inadequate academies are automatically subject to scrutiny and close monitoring by Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) to secure rapid improvements. Academic Year*Number of ‘inadequate academies’Number of ‘inadequate academies’ that have moved trusts**Number of ‘inadequate academies that have been issued with a formal notice.2010/115122011/1227672012/13451772013/149433192014/159224202015/166097 *The information shown includes those academies inspected within an academic year and therefore if an academy has had more than one inadequate inspection this will be included in each year**Excludes formal notices where the academy has since moved trust

Academies

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2016 to Question 43274, what estimate she has made of how many people will attend an Executive Educators programme for multi-academy trust leaders in 2016-17.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Education Funding Agency: Public Appointments

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the contract of employment of the Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency is due to expire.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Leader of the House

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Leader of the House, when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North, dated 8 August 2016, on the renewal and restoration of the Commons building; and what the reason is for no reply having yet been sent.

Mr David Lidington: I regret that the hon. Member’s letter of 8 August was never received. I have now received a copy of the letter and responded on 7 September.

e-Petitions

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps he is taking to improve the quality of Government responses to e-petitions.

Mr David Lidington: The new e-petitions system has been running for over a year now and the Government is pleased with the level of engagement that it has prompted among the public. Individual Departments are responsible for the content and timeliness of responses to e-petitions, however the Leader's office has general Government oversight of e-petitions. My predecessor reminded Cabinet colleagues of the importance of quality and timely responses to e-petitions at the beginning of the second session. I will be writing to Cabinet colleagues this week with a similar reminder.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Vetting

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which agencies perform child protection checks prior to a self-employed adult being permitted to provide extracurricular activities to children for which activity or sport there is no governing body.

Tracey Crouch: The current system relies on parents to ask self-employed coaches or private providers whether DBS checks have been obtained and what their safeguarding arrangements are. Sport England has recently provided input on safeguarding into Baroness Grey-Thompson's Duty of Care Review, which is exploring issues around the duty of care that sport has towards its participants. The terms of reference for the review are wide ranging, covering many aspects relating to safety and wellbeing, and safeguarding is one area under consideration. Sport England is also currently looking at how it can improve safeguarding through its sponsorship of and investment into the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU), a partnership between the NSPCC, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland and Sport Wales.

Broadband: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on the rollout of superfast broadband in the B91 1 postcode area.

Matt Hancock: Nine out of ten UK homes and businesses can now access superfast broadband and we're on track to reach 95 per cent of the UK by the end of next year. We're committed to a Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband.We want a USO at a speed of 10Mbps as an absolute minimum, enough to meet the needs of a typical family or small business so no-one is left behind.We estimate that approximately 98% of premises in the Solihull constituency now have access to superfast broadband. We do not hold data specific to each postcode.

National Lottery: Scotland

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of National Lottery ticket sales revenues was (a) passed to the good causes funds and (b) spent on good causes in Scotland in each of the last 10 years.

Tracey Crouch: The table below sets out the proportion of ticket sales going to Good Causes over the past ten years, and the percentage of total lottery funding allocated to Scottish distributors, as determined by legislation. YearProportion of sales to Good Causes (%)Proportion of total lottery funding to Scottish Distributors only (%)06/0725.42.807/0825.32.808/0925.22.809/1026.82.810/1126.72.811/1226.23.112/1325.33.413/1423.43.414/1522.93.415/1623.53.4The relationship between ticket sales and income generated for Good Causes depends on the mix of games sold, as each has a different percentage return to Good Causes.In addition, good causes in Scotland receive funding from the four UK-wide distributors: British Film Institute, UK Sport, Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund. Each distributor takes account of a variety of considerations including geographical spread of funding, deprivation data and participation rates when determining priorities and allocating budget.For example, up to 10 per cent of the Big Lottery Fund budget is top sliced for UK programmes. Scotland receives 11.5 per cent of the remaining budget. In 2016, the Big Lottery Fund gave grants of between £8,106 - £10,000 to projects in three primary schools in North Lanarkshire, as well a variety of organisations seeking to improve community well-being, including the Love n Light Recovery Organisation, Moira Anderson Foundation, Mornay Social Club, and Newmains Community Trust. Further details are available on the DCMS Lottery Grants Database at http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/Search.aspxThe Heritage Lottery Fund’s open programmes are calculated on a per capita basis. Budgets for targeted programmes are not distributed on this basis, instead Scotland bids alongside the rest of the UK for access to those funds.

Young People: Voluntary Work

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many young people from (a) North Swindon and (b) England have participated in the National Citizen Service in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 07 September 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The NCS Trust does not collect data at a constituency level. Therefore, the figures in the table below are for the local authority area of Swindon. Details of participation rates have been held at local authority level since 2012. The participation rates set out below also include a small number of participants from Northern Ireland. There was considerable national growth in the programme in 2015 – exact figures on 2015 NCS participation will be published in the independent evaluation in due course. YearSwindonEngland and Northern Ireland2011-8,434201211726,003201311039,994201418157,789 YearSwindonEngland and Northern Ireland2011-8,434201211726,003201311039,994

Mr Rob Wilson: The NCS Trust does not collect data at a constituency level. Therefore, the figures in the table below are for the local authority area of Swindon. Details of participation rates have been held at local authority level since 2012. The participation rates set out below also include a small number of participants from Northern Ireland. There was considerable national growth in the programme in 2015 – exact figures on 2015 NCS participation will be published in the independent evaluation in due course. YearSwindonEngland and Northern Ireland2011-8,434201211726,003201311039,994201418157,789 YearSwindonEngland and Northern Ireland2011-8,434201211726,003201311039,994

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps her Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Matt Hancock: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including DCMS, and a wide range of other interested parties.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a list of all secondees to her Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

Matt Hancock: DCMS records show that there were no secondments to the Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times her Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Matt Hancock: DCMS has not used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years

Heathrow Airport: Tourism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussion she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of the possible expansion of Heathrow Airport on UK tourism.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of possible expansion of Heathrow Airport on UK tourism.

Tracey Crouch: The Government has accepted the case for airport expansion in the South East and the Airports' Commission's shortlisted options. The new Culture Secretary will be ensuring that tourism is one of the factors considered, when a final decision is taken on a preferred scheme.

Nuisance Calls

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what further steps her Department plans to take to tackle unsolicited and nuisance telephone calls.

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what further legislative proposals she plans to bring forward to tackle nuisance telephone calls.

Matt Hancock: We are taking forward a range of legislative measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law. Specific actions include; strengthening the ICO's direct marketing guidance by giving it statutory status; a proposal to extend the ICO’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls; and exploring the options for enabling the ICO to hold company directors to account for breaches of the direct marketing rules.

Video Games

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the value of the video games industry to the UK economy.

Matt Hancock: Latest estimates from the DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-economic-estimates-january-2016 ) show that Gross Value Added for the computer games industry in the UK was £426m in 2014. Research by Nesta and trade association Ukie (http://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/map-uk-games-industry ) seeks to include the contribution of micro-businesses together with official statistics and this suggested that the contribution of video games could be substantially higher. We look forward to seeing the next iteration of this research which is due to be revealed this month and aims to further reflect the fast growing nature of the UK’s digital businesses.

Athletics

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential economic benefit to the UK of hosting the World Athletics Championship and the IPC World Championships in 2017.

Tracey Crouch: The potential economic benefit of hosting the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships and the IPC World Championships in London is currently expected to be in excess of £100m. This will build on the significant positive economic impact of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

Broadband: Scotland

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the proposed Universal Service Obligation for broadband will apply in Scotland.

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on the application of the Universal Service Obligation for broadband in Scotland.

Matt Hancock: Telecoms, including the Broadband Univeral Service Obligation (USO) is a reserved matter and applies throughout the UK. We have regular discussions with the Scottish Government on a wide range of issues, and I am grateful for their responses to the Government's USO consultation and more recently to Ofcom's Call for Inputs on the design of the USO.

Broadband

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Queen's Speech 2016, if her Department will publish detailed plans to create the right for every household to access high speed broadband.

Matt Hancock: Following the Queen's Speech, the Digital Economy Bill has been introduced which includes measures to enable the Government to implement and review a new broadband Universal Service Obligation. We have asked Ofcom to undertake a detailed technical analysis on a range of factors that will impact on the design of the USO. Once we have considered Ofcom's report, we will consult on the detailed specifications for the USO which will be set in secondary legislation once the Bill has received Royal Assent.

Olympic Games

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of the success of the London 2012 Olympic Games on the success of the competitors at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Tracey Crouch: The London 2012 Olympic Games were a huge success with sold-out venues and the best British performance for over 100 years in winning 65 medals. The Games left a legacy of increased participation and world-class sporting venues which are now being used by our elite athletes as well as local communities.The commitment from the Government immediately following the London 2012 Olympic Games to confirm and sustain Exchequer support for the UK Sport World Class Programme was a significant moment in underpinning the success of Rio, providing UK Sport, and the National Governing Bodies of sport, with the necessary financial support to invest in medal success across the Olympic and Paralympic sports. I am confident that this success will continue at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, and through to Tokyo in 2020 and beyond. Since 2012, UK Sport funded athletes have given back over 18,000 days visiting schools and local projects as part of our commitment to inspire the next generation.

Sportsgrounds: Disability

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that public-facing staff at sports venues have disability equality awareness training.

Tracey Crouch: I refer my Honourable friend to the answer to PQ 44837, answered on 7th September.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department estimates that digital radio will reach 50 per cent of listeners; and when she plans to publish a timetable for any switchover beyond that date.

Matt Hancock: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 12 September 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Information on trends in radio listening in the UK is published quarterly by Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR). According to RAJAR, digital radio's share of listening continues to grow steadily and digital radio now accounts for 45.3 per cent (Q2 2016) of all radio listening. Around 59 per cent of adults listen to digital radio services at least weekly. Supported by the growth of new commercial digital services, on current trends the radio industry expects digital's share of listening will overtake analogue by the end of 2017. At that point, Government has said it will need to consider the decision about the timetable for any future switch-off of analogue radio services.Any decision over a timetable for switchover will be taken in due course.

Matt Hancock: Information on trends in radio listening in the UK is published quarterly by Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR). According to RAJAR, digital radio's share of listening continues to grow steadily and digital radio now accounts for 45.3 per cent (Q2 2016) of all radio listening. Around 59 per cent of adults listen to digital radio services at least weekly. Supported by the growth of new commercial digital services, on current trends the radio industry expects digital's share of listening will overtake analogue by the end of 2017. At that point, Government has said it will need to consider the decision about the timetable for any future switch-off of analogue radio services.Any decision over a timetable for switchover will be taken in due course.

Sports: Drugs

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the International Olympic Committee and the British Olympic Association on ensuring that British athletes who placed behind athletes found guilty of doping in competitions have their medals and awards upgraded.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is supportive of the International Olympic Committee's Agenda approach that honours clean athletes by awarding an Olympic medal following a positive doping case. Formal medal ceremonies are arranged for medal-winners who receive their Olympic medal following the disqualification of a competitor. There is absolutely no place for drug cheats in sport and it is completely right that clean athletes receive medals when tests have proven doping violations.

Small Businesses: Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the level of take-up by (a) micro, (b) small and (c) medium-sized enterprises has been of the Cyber Essentials programme.

Matt Hancock: Of the Cyber Essentials certificates issued, around 80% have been to micro, small and medium-sized businesses.

Obesity: Children

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what role her Department played in drafting the Government's childhood obesity plan.

Tracey Crouch: I refer my honourable friend to my response to PQ 44972, answered on 8th September.

Gaming Machines: Regulation

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to work with the gambling industry on the regulation of fixed odds betting terminals.

Tracey Crouch: A: In April 2015 the Government introduced regulations which require authorisation of stakes over £50 on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) through a “verified account” or staff interaction. The bookmakers shared data with my officials and the Gambling Commission to enable Government to conduct an evaluation of the £50 regulations, published on 21 January. The evaluation can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-gaming-machine-circumstances-of-useamendment-regulations-2015 In addition, the Association of British Bookmakers introduced a Code for Responsible Gambling in 2013, updated in 2015, which includes a number of measures relating to FOBTs including the ability to set time and spend limits on gaming machines, the ability to access player statements, and the introduction of Player Awareness Systems which use data analytics to intervene where customers behaviour indicates they may be experiencing problems in their play. The Government meets regularly with industry to discuss player protection measures.

Gambling: Social Networking

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has she made of the effectiveness of regulations on advertising of gambling products on social media.

Matt Hancock: The Government is committed to ensuring that people, particularly the young and vulnerable, are protected from the risk of gambling-related harm. We are keeping the issue of advertising, including via social media, under review to ensure that sufficient protections are in place, and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary.

Tourism: South West

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to increase battlefield tourism in South West England.

Tracey Crouch: 22% of all Registered Battlefields are located in the South West. Through the recently published Tourism Action Plan ​ and Discover England Fund​, this Government is encouraging visitors, both domestic and international, to venture beyond London, so that the benefits of growth can be felt across the whole of the UK.

Sports: Disability

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department spent on disability sport in each year since 2010.

Tracey Crouch: Government is committed to increasing opportunities for disabled people to get involved in sport and physical activity, both at the grassroots and elite level. For the period 2011 - 17, Sport England is investing over £170 million as part of its Whole Sport Plan Investment to encourage and support disabled people to play sport. In the current 2013-17 Rio Olympic and Paralympic cycle, UK Sport are investing around £350 million in the Summer Olympic and Paralympic sports, and a further £31m in the Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports, targeting success in PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020. The Government, through UK Sport, is investing almost £73m into 18 summer Paralympic sports during the Rio 2016 cycle, an increase of 48% from London 2012, and £2.7m into winter Paralympic sport during the current cycle.

Gaming Machines

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the next Triennial Review of Stakes and Prizes is planned.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is planned that the next Triennial Review of Stakes and Prizes will consider introducing £2 maximum stakes on fixed odds betting terminals.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy that licensing of betting premises with fixed odds betting terminals having a maximum stake of more than £10 should be devolved to local authorities in England and Wales.

Tracey Crouch: The Triennial Review of Stakes and Prizes is due to be published shortly, and will consider stakes and prizes of all gaming machines.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2016 to Question 42910, on poultry: animal welfare, for what reasons the ban on conventional cages only applies to laying hens of the species gallus gallus.

George Eustice: The UK ban on conventional cages only applies to laying hens of the species Gallus gallus as the legislation implements the EU-wide ban on keeping laying hens in conventional cages in Council Directive 1999/74, which is specific to laying hens.

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of requiring CCTV animal welfare standards monitoring in slaughterhouses; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) was commissioned by GB governments to produce an independent assessment of the benefits of CCTV in slaughterhouses. The report was published in February 2015. It concluded that CCTV can offer some real benefits but it cannot replace the need for businesses to have proper monitoring procedures in place on the ground. The FAWC report did not recommend legislation. However, the Government is keeping the issue under review.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times her Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

George Eustice: The attached information shows contracts for consultancy, by company, in the years 2013 – 2016, lists the description of work carried out for Defra and the contractually committed spend by contract.  



PQ44349 - use of consultancy 
(PDF Document, 197.39 KB)

Farmers: Prosecutions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department or the Animal and Plant Health Agency will collect data on (a) the number of and (b) the reasons for on-farm prosecutions.

George Eustice: Data on (a) the number of and (b) the reasons for on-farm prosecutions is already collected by Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and a statutory return is required to be made and laid before Parliament in accordance with Section 80 of the Animal Health Act 1981. The report covers prosecutions taken under the Animal Health Act 1981 and other animal health and welfare legislation. It also includes data on the incidences of disease in animals. A report is compiled by Defra for data relating to England and Wales. Scotland compiles a separate report. These reports are published and available to the public on www.Gov.UK and www.Gov.Scot. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/section-80-report-for-2015-under-the-animal-health-act-1981 http://www.gov.scot/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/animal-welfare/Diseases/Enforcement

Bees: Neonicotinoids

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the conclusions of the report led by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology published in Nature Communications on 16 August 2016, entitled Impacts of neonicotinoid use on long-term population change in wild bees in England; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: We consider new studies on neonicotinoids, including the recent study led by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, carefully, drawing on advice from the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides as well as from government experts. The Government remains committed to ensuring that pesticides are not authorised if the scientific evidence shows they pose unacceptable risks to the environment.

Dangerous Dogs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the findings of the RSPCA report entitled, Breed Specific Legislation - A Dog's Dinner, published in August 2016, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of breed specific legislation.

George Eustice: The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was reviewed as recently as 2014. At that time it was decided to make some changes, including extending the criminal offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control to all places and increasing the maximum penalties substantially from 2 years’ imprisonment to (i) 14 years‘ imprisonment in cases of death of the victim; (ii) 5 years’ imprisonment in cases of injury; and (iii) 3 years’ imprisonment in cases where a dog attacks an assistance dog. The Government does not consider that dogs bred for fighting, or those that share the characteristics of these animals, make ideal pets. However, the law allows individual dogs to be exempt from the general prohibition if a court is satisfied that they do not pose a threat to public safety and if the owner is considered a fit and proper person.

Marine Environment

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to ensure that regulatory standards on clean beaches and seas, marine wildlife protection and fish population levels will not be lowered after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In the 2015 Manifesto, we set the goal of being the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than that in which we found it. This is a big ambition to which the Government remains committed to today. We also have a manifesto commitment to produce a 25 Year Plan for the environment which will be the basis of our approach to the environment. As we start the process of leaving the EU, we will aim to deliver a stable and clear legislative framework for the environment, including maintaining standards that underpin trade and deliver on our international commitments.

Hunting Act 2004

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend or repeal the Hunting Act 2004 during this Parliament.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government stands by its manifesto commitment to give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act on a free vote, with a Government Bill in Government time.

Trees: Disease Control

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the invasion of fungi and insects into the UK which can threaten British trees; and what assistance is available to landowners to tackle such diseases locally.

George Eustice: Upholding plant biosecurity is a key priority for my department and we have taken a number of measures to reduce the risk of introduction of pests and diseases.We have invested over £26 million into tree health research. Our long-term national strategy to tackle tree and plant disease is based on science, international best practice and advice of the UK Chief Plant Health Officer. We have also invested more than any other country in research on Ash Dieback and are conducting the world’s largest screening trials to identify a disease-tolerant tree.We are promoting biosecurity internationally, at UK borders, and inland targeted inspections at the border to intercept high risk trades.There are regulations on importing plants and products from outside the UK where it is known that certain pests or pathogens are present. These are updated regularly, in response to new evidence. We are working collaboratively with the international community, industry, NGOs, landowners and the public to reduce the risks of pests and diseases entering the country, and mitigate the impact of newly established pests.Our approach to tackling plant and tree pests and diseases also includes:Identifying and assessing new threats using the UK Plant Health Risk Register; andTargeted import inspections at ports and airports combined with inland surveillance.The Forestry Commission provides advice to woodland managers about how best to manage and adapt to tree pests and diseases. The Animal and Plant Health Agency provide similar advice for the nursery sector, including how to build resilience to pests and diseases.Support is available for some landowners on specific tree diseases through the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, subject to grant conditions.

Dogs: Animal Breeding

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to tackle selective breeding of dogs for aesthetic reasons which cause health defects.

George Eustice: We have consulted on proposals to modernise dog breeding licensing legislation, including helping promote schemes which are accredited by the UK Accreditation Service. One scheme is the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeder Scheme which involves the Kennel Club working with breed societies in the development and application of tests to identify dogs that have genetic defects that can cause health problems.

Trapping

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Government did not meet the deadline for implementing the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards; who the Government consulted on its decision to delay that implementation; and whether the Government requested permission from the EU to extend that deadline.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) applies to a limited number of species in the UK (stoat, badger, otter, beaver and pine marten). Of these, the stoat is the only species for which lethal traps are used in the UK. Defra has been working with trap testing facilities to test the humaneness of spring trap designs that can replace traps currently in use. Testing to date has not identified a suitable alternative design that meets AIHTS standards. Defra aims to implement the AIHTS as soon as is practically possible, but to use a permitted transition provision to allow delayed implementation of the agreement for stoats whilst a suitable compliant design is identified.

Neonicotinoids

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK intends to maintain the EU ban on neonicotinoids (a) before and (b) after the UK leaves the EU; and whether the Government plans to conduct a review of the evidence of damage to bees caused by those pesticides.

George Eustice: While it remains within the EU, the UK will continue to meet its obligations under EU law. This includes restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids. As part of the preparation for EU exit, we are considering future arrangements for pesticides. Our highest priority will continue to be the protection of people and the environment. The Government remains of the view that decisions on the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides should be based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks. Pesticides that carry unacceptable risks to pollinators should not be authorised. The Government keeps the developing evidence on neonicotinoids under active review, advised by the independent Expert Committee on Pesticides.

Recycling

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her policy to retain targets to recycle 50 per cent of waste by 2020 after the UK withdrawals from the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: While we remain in the EU, all rights and obligations associated with our membership will remain in place, including the target to re-use or recycle 50% of our household waste by 2020. Beyond that, the Government remains committed to actions to reduce waste and increase our rates of recycling. In our 2015 Manifesto, we set the goal of being the first generation to leave England’s natural environment in a better state than that in which we found it. This is a big ambition and one to which the Government remains committed.

Marine Environment

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will ensure that the UK continues to comply with the (a) Bathing Waters Directive and (b) Marine Strategy Framework Directive when the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We are committed to creating a cleaner, healthier natural environment for the next generation and our 25 year plan for the environment is designed to fulfil this commitment. Defra will be working with the Department for Exiting the EU on the UK’s withdrawal and future relationship, liaising closely with other key departments. The Government will work with industry, environmental groups and the public to develop these new arrangements. The Government is committed to improving our environment and achieving the UK vision for our seas and oceans. Until we leave the EU, EU law continues to apply and we will continue to comply with the requirements of the EU Bathing Water Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Marine Protected Areas

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the EU referendum on the management and regulation of the UK's Marine Protected Areas and on Government plans to complete a coherent network of Marine Conservation Zones.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government remains committed to putting in place a well-managed Blue Belt to protect precious marine habitats and species. We are aiming for the third tranche of Marine Conservation Zones to be comprehensive and complete our contribution to the ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas in the North East Atlantic. This network plays an important part in helping stem the decline of marine habitats and species and in aiding their recovery. Marine Conservation Zones are provided for through domestic legislation. We will be exploring options over the coming months for how best to protect the species and habitats that are found in our European Marine Sites set up under the Habitats and Birds Directives.

Neonicotinoids

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to retain the suspension on the use of pesticides containing the neonicotinoids thiamethoxam, clothianidin and imidacloprid on flowering crops during negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice: As part of the preparation for EU exit, we are considering future arrangements for pesticides. Our highest priority will continue to be the protection of people and the environment. The Government remains of the view that decisions on the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides should be based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks. Pesticides that carry unacceptable risks to pollinators should not be authorised. The Government keeps the developing evidence on neonicotinoids under active review, advised by the Expert Committee on Pesticides.

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many racehorses were slaughtered in abattoirs in Britain in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

George Eustice: Information on the types of horses slaughtered in abattoirs in Great Britain is not recorded. The total numbers of horses slaughtered in Great Britain for that period are as follows:YearNo. Horses Slaughtered2013-144,7702014-154,0082015-163,653

Dairy Farming

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dairy farmers there were in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The number of dairy farms in England from 2011 to 2015 is shown below along with the number of cows in the dairy herd on these farms. The source of cattle population data is the administrative Cattle Tracing System (CTS) data.  YearNumber of dairy farms(a)Number of cows in the dairy herd20119 0411 112 45920128 6631 104 67620138 3421 098 61020148 0921 128 54820157 9821 148 089  (a) Sourced from Cattle Tracing System (CTS). Defined as the number of holdings with more than 10 female dairy cows over 2 years old in the milking herd (i.e. with offspring)

Rural Payments Agency: Telephone Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Rural Payments Agency staff have been tasked with responding to telephone enquiries from farmers on the Basic Payments Scheme in each year since 2011-12.

George Eustice: All staff in the RPA contact centre deal with external calls covering every part of the agency’s business, including the Basic Payment Scheme introduced in 2015. The contact centre is made up of a core telephony team but additional operational resource is deployed on the telephone lines to meet demand during peak periods. The average number of people, shown in Full Time Equivalents, is given in the table below. Accurate figures before 2013 are not available. YearFTE201364.8201481.42015131.1

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what UK representation there is at the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK is represented at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress by various members of the IUCN UK National Committee (IUCN NCUK). The IUCN NCUK is comprised of IUCN members in the United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, and also represents the interests of its Members in the IUCN Pan European region. The Chair and Chief Executive from NCUK are both in attendance at the Congress.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of badgers to be culled in the next 12 months.

George Eustice: Advice to Natural England on setting the minimum and maximum numbers of badgers to be removed in licensed badger control areas during 2016 can be found on the gov.uk website at www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-to-natural-england-on-setting-minimum-and-maximum-numbers-of-badgers-to-be-controlled-in-2016.

Birds of Prey

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release by Natural England of 29 July 2016 to issue a licence permitting the control of up to 10 buzzards, if her Department will take steps to ensure that the granting of such licences does not endanger the buzzard population.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Buzzards are now widespread in England, with over 60,000 pairs in the UK (British Trust for Ornithology). The removal of a small number of birds will have no impact on the national population. Moreover, Natural England would not license any activity that would adversely affect the conservation status of a species.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme and LEADER Programme

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's policy is on future funding of the LEADER and Countryside Stewardship schemes; what discussions she has had with her Ministerial colleagues on the funding of those schemes; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Scunthorpe, Nic Dakin, on 8 September 2016, PQ UIN44637. The Government’s announcement ahead of the Autumn Statement will also cover LEADER.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to eradicate bovine tuberculosis.

George Eustice: Our comprehensive strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, improving biosecurity on farm and when trading cattle, and badger control in areas where TB is rife. We have recently launched a public consultation and a call for views on proposals for additional cattle measures. These proposals follow enhancements made in April 2016, including post-movement testing of cattle entering the Low Risk Area and a more sensitive TB testing regime for infected herds in the High Risk Area. Natural England has this year authorised licensed badger control in ten areas where TB is rife.

Neonicotinoids

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on the maintenance of current restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids once the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: As part of the preparation for EU exit, we are considering future arrangements for pesticides. Our highest priority will continue to be the protection of people and the environment. The Government remains of the view that decisions on the use of neonicotinoids and other pesticides should be based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks. Pesticides that carry unacceptable risks to pollinators should not be authorised. The Government keeps the developing evidence on neonicotinoids under active review, advised by the Expert Committee on Pesticides.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received from scientists and policy experts on her policy on the badger cull.

George Eustice: Ministers meet regularly with both scientists and policy experts to review all aspects of our comprehensive strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis, including badger control.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department used to make the decision on new licenses for badger culling in Cornwall, Herefordshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Dorset.

George Eustice: The criteria Natural England uses when assessing applications for licences for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine tuberculosis under section 10(2)(a) of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 can be found on the gov.uk website at www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-natural-england-preventing-spread-of-bovine-tb

Nature Conservation: Africa

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work the Government has undertaken with African governments on identifying and protecting endangered species.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government works with African governments on the conservation of endangered species through a number of fora. We work multi-laterally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to protect a wide range of endangered species in Africa. This includes attending the CITES Conference of Parties, the next of which will take place in South Africa between 24 September and 5 October this year, where proposals on a wide range of endangered species of interest to African governments will be discussed. As preparation for this meeting the UK part funded a meeting bringing together African lion range countries to discuss lion conservation in Entebbe during the summer.In addition the UK has undertaken bi-lateral work with various African countries, in particular to address illegal wildlife trade since the London Conference on Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trade was held in 2014. This work is supported with £13 million, most of which is distributed through the competitive Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund.

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 3 August 2016 on legislation on dangerous dogs related to a constituency case.

George Eustice: The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, Lord Gardiner, replied to the letter of 3 August from hon. Member for Walsall North on 12 September.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Free Movement of People

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans to seek to maintain freedom of movement throughout the EEA for UK citizens during the negotiations on the UK's exit from the EU.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans to offer freedom of movement for EEA citizens into the UK during the negotiations on the UK's exit from the EU.

Mr David Jones: The Prime Minister has been clear that free movement cannot continue as it has in the past. The precise way in which the government will control the movement of EU nationals to Britain after Brexit is yet to be determined.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Secondment

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many officials of his Department are (a) on secondment from external companies and (b) engaged as external contractors or consultants; and what the cost is of engaging those staff.

Mr David Jones: The department currently has 5 individuals on secondment from external companies. There has been no costs incurred to date from engaging these staff.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Secondment

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what budget his Department has set for paying staff (a) on secondment from external companies and (b) engaged as external contractors or consultants for each year from 2016 to 2020.

Mr David Jones: The new Department for Exiting the European Union is properly resourced. Detailed work is underway to establish the final budget required to fulfill the Department's functions, set-up and responsibilities. This budget will be voted on by Parliament at the Supplementary Estimate.

Didier Seeuws

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what (a) meetings and (b) discussions he has had with Didier Seeuws, Head of the Brexit Taskforce at the European Council.

Mr Robin Walker: The Prime Minister has been clear we will not give a running commentary on Brexit negotiations. We will ensure that we engage closely with all relevant interlocutors.

Students: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make it his policy to ensure reciprocity of student access to higher education funding systems with other EU countries as part of negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Jones: The rights of EU nationals here and British citizens in other EU states to access higher education funding systems once the UK has left the European Union will be agreed during the course of negotiations.There has been no change to date to current reciprocal rights as a result of the referendum.The Student Loans Company (SLC) has already published reassurance to current students and the '16/17 cohort that they will be able to obtain finance for the full duration of their course.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Staff

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many staff his Department (a) employs and (b) plans to employ in the next 12 months; and how many such staff will be located in (i) London, (ii) Brussels and (iii) elsewhere.

Mr David Jones: The new Department for Exiting the European Union will be made up of staff and officials from various departments across Government. The Department has already started drawing together expertise from a wide range of departments where there is specific relevant knowledge.The overall size and scope of the Department, including staffing and budget, are now under consideration. The Department now has over 200 staff in London, plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels, and is still growing rapidly with first class support from other government departments.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Public Expenditure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the budget of his Department in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Jones: The new Department for Exiting the European Union is properly resourced. Detailed work is underway to establish the final budget required to fulfil the Department’s set-up and responsibilities. The budget of the Department will be set out to the House and approved as part of the supplementary estimates in the new year, as is standard practice.

Cybercrime: EU Action

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his policy is on future UK participation in the EU cybersecurity strategy.

Mr David Jones: We are leaving the EU but co-operation on security, including on cyber security, with our European and global allies will be undiminished. We will do what is necessary to keep our people safe. We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance.

UK Withdrawal from EU

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans for the Minister for Universities and Science to be part of the Government's team negotiating exit from the EU.

Mr David Jones: The Prime Minister will lead our negotiations for leaving the EU. We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out further internal positions in advance. As we prepare for negotiations on the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government will continue to consult with a broad range of stakeholders in order to secure the best possible deal for the whole UK.

Attorney General

Attorney General: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Law Officers' Departments have taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps the Law Officers' Departments plan to take in the remainder of 2016.

Jeremy Wright: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Attorney General’s Office, and a wide range of other interested parties.

Attorney General: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Attorney General, how many times the Law Officers' Departments have used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

Jeremy Wright: The Government Legal Department (GLD) and the Attorney General’s Office have not procured any consultancy advice or support in the last three years.GLD has used two of the firms specified to provide support to litigation cases involving the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The table below shows the amount spent with PwC and KPMG.Supplier2013/14 Total Value (Net)2014/15 Total Value (Net)2015/16 Total Value (Net)PwC£1,187,975£1,221,674£603,938KPMG£241,920£308,576£208,364Over the past three financial years Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service (HCMPSI) has spent £47,440 on consultancy services to provide general advice and support to the Chief Inspector and £6,662 to assist with a review of the shape and size of HMCPSI.The table below sets out payments made for the past three financial years by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to the above firms and the reason for payment. None of these payments were for consultancy services. The SFO have engaged some other firms who provide consultancy services but in all cases this was for forensic accounting or expert witness services in support of our investigations rather than consultancy.Supplier2013/14 Total Value (Net)2014/15 Total Value (Net)2015/16 Total Value (Net)Deloitte-£8,732-PwC£12,500£1,259£8,262KPMG-£4,800-The Deloitte spending related to data recovery. PwC and Ernst & Young expenditure related to payment to an expert witness for an SFO case.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has not incurred any expenditure with PwC, Ernst and Young or KPMG in the last three financial years.he CPS has incurred expenditure with Deloitte. However, records of each separate engagement are not maintained and the department is therefore unable to confirm the number of times Deloitte’s have been engaged.Central records of total CPS expenditure are maintained and expenditure with Deloitte’s for each of last financial years is shown in the table below.Deloitte LLP Milton KeynesYear£’s2013/149,6612014/1520,9522015/1626,347Total56,960The payments relate to building works and associated services in respect of three offices the CPS has lease agreements on and where Deloitte’s act on behalf of the properties landlords.

Sentencing

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many offenders have had their sentence increased under the unduly lenient sentence scheme in each of the last five years.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, what plans he has to extend the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, what plans he has to extend the scope of the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many people have applied for sentences to be reviewed under the unduly lenient sentence scheme in each of the last five years.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many sentences referred to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme were (a) increased and (b) kept the same in each of the last five years.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney General, how many applications under the unduly lenient sentence scheme have been rejected due to falling outside the remit of that scheme in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has committed to extending the scope of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme and is carefully considering its approach. The number of offenders who have had their sentence increased under the unduly lenient sentence scheme in each of the last five years is set out below. Year2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Offenders who have had their sentence increased by the Court of Appeal956261106102 Some cases attract multiple referrals from various sources and we do not record how many referrals each case has received. The total number of cases where requests were received by the Attorney General’s Office for sentences to be reviewed in each of the last five years is set out below.Year20112012201320142015Total number of referrals received by the Attorney General’s Office for sentences to be reviewed under the scheme377435498674713 The number of sentences referred to the Court of Appeal under the unduly lenient sentence scheme that were (a) increased and (b) kept the same in each of the last five years is set out below.Year20112012201320142015Total number of sentences referred to the Court of Appeal1178270122136Total number of sentences that were increased956261106102Total number of sentences that remained unchanged222091634 The number of referrals under the unduly lenient sentence scheme that have been rejected due to falling outside the remit of the scheme in each of the last five years is set out below.Year20112012201320142015Number of referrals that have been rejected due to the offence falling outside the remit of the scheme6275131194228Number of referrals received out of time31291016

Ministry of Justice

Equal Pay

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people paid (a) issue fees and (b) hearing fees in equal pay cases in each year since 2010.

Sir Oliver Heald: Information on Employment Tribunal fees is published in the Tribunals and Gender Recognition Statistics Quarterly on gov.uk. Data on how many people have paid fees in equal pay cases is not held centrally.

Schengen Agreement

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how her Department plans to continue to work with European partners in the areas of her portfolio that were covered by the Schengen Agreement after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Oliver Heald: As the Prime Minister has said, it would not be right for the Government to give a running commentary on negotiations with the EU.

Gender Recognition

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the Gender Recognition Panel administrative guidance states that the Statutory Declaration should be dated within six months of the date of the Gender Recognition Certificate application.

Dr Phillip Lee: The date of the statutory declaration needs to be close to the date of application for a GRC (Gender Recognition Certificate) because the Gender Recognition Panel must be satisfied that the applicant and the spouse’s consents are still valid and current at the time of the application for a GRC. The 6 month timeframe reflects this need for up-to-date evidence.

Special Educational Needs: Tribunals

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many special educational needs and disability tribunals there have been in each local authority area in (a) total and (b) each quarter since the introduction of the Children and Families Act 2014; and how many such tribunals there were in each year between 2010 and 2014.

Sir Oliver Heald: Information about the number of special educational needs and disability appeals brought against decisions made by each local authority is published on gov.uk.The published statistics are annual figures. Details of appeals brought against local authorities in each quarter of the 2014-15 year are set out in the table below.Local AuthorityAppeals Registered:1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015Q1 - September to November 2014Q2 - December 2014 to February 2015Q3 - March to May 2015  Q4 - June to August 2015  NORTH EASTDarlington0100Durham9135Gateshead2412Hartlepool0000Middlesbrough0000Newcastle upon Tyne1020North Tyneside0011Northumberland2220Redcar and Cleveland0000South Tyneside0000Stockton-on-Tees2023Sunderland4114NORTH WESTBlackburn with Darwen1000Blackpool0201Bolton0011Bury2022Cheshire East105310Cheshire West and Chester4214Cumbria2121Halton0101Knowsley0000Lancashire8112325Liverpool6063Manchester89148Oldham4201Rochdale1110Salford3130Sefton1146St. Helens1114Stockport3225Tameside3133Trafford9022Warrington0002Wigan1100Wirral1114YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBERBarnsley5234Bradford1021Calderdale0011Doncaster0100East Riding of Yorkshire1111Kingston Upon Hull, City of0050Kirklees2276Leeds6112North East Lincolnshire1001North Lincolnshire0100North Yorkshire1249Rotherham1002Sheffield1051212Wakefield1010York2020EAST MIDLANDSDerby151032Derbyshire13101011Leicester2152Leicestershire9336Lincolnshire71257Northamptonshire1662115Nottingham2441Nottinghamshire87912Rutland0100WEST MIDLANDSBirmingham29294040Coventry5372Dudley2066Herefordshire1022Sandwell9543Shropshire5211Solihull3580Staffordshire15101418Stoke-on-Trent4432Telford and Wrekin4606Walsall6343Warwickshire2252Wolverhampton0124Worcestershire46712EAST OF ENGLANDBedford2020Central Bedfordshire3012Cambridgeshire24151212Essex3592217Hertfordshire24203223Luton0113Norfolk125147Peterborough5110Southend-on-Sea3221Suffolk1171515Thurrock6203LONDONINNER LONDONCamden4373City of London0100Hackney8426Hammersmith and Fulham8546Haringey6356Islington4102Kensington and Chelsea7028Lambeth15161312Lewisham8799Newham6563Southwark8386Tower Hamlets0334Wandsworth67104Westminster2669OUTER LONDONBarking and Dagenham2157Barnet971415Bexley561212Brent127106Bromley5777Croydon1910148Ealing1261210Enfield2032Greenwich78710Harrow8591Havering0031Hillingdon8269Hounslow48105Kingston upon Thames2683Merton5444Redbridge3523Richmond upon Thames99156Sutton83106Waltham Forest1114SOUTH EASTBracknell Forest3001Brighton and Hove3423Buckinghamshire53127East Sussex1171922Hampshire32222431Isle of Wight4110Kent88264543Medway610810Milton Keynes0131Oxfordshire7465Portsmouth3111Reading1021Slough0131Southampton42158Surrey39313939West Berkshire3011West Sussex5275Windsor and Maidenhead2210Wokingham2152SOUTH WESTBath and North East Somerset1110Bournemouth1002Bristol, City of6086Cornwall4131Devon6077Dorset4023Gloucestershire123810Isles of Scilly0000North Somerset1297Plymouth0010Poole3101Somerset67516South Gloucestershire7144Swindon6372Torbay0011Wiltshire59147

Prison Service: Staff

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to prison officers experiencing mental illness.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of its staff. An employee’s GP retains primary responsibility for the care and treatment of mental health problems. NOMS recognises its duty of care to staff and provides wide ranging occupational health services, fast tracking to psychological interventions (where clinically indicated for ill-health due to work related trauma), and offers comprehensive employee assistance (EAP) services which are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in support. Staff are also able to self-refer for counselling by calling a 24 hour helpline in complete confidentiality. A well-established system of Care Teams also exists which provide the social and practical support for staff in the early days following a serious incident. Innovations and support locally are continually under review and enhanced wherever possible. Assessment of the adequacy of support is ongoing at all levels – locally, regionally, and nationally.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to publish the report of her Department's implementation review of employment tribunal fees which was initiated on 11 June 2015.

Sir Oliver Heald: We will publish the outcome of our review into Employment Tribunal Fees in due course.

Approved Premises

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) Approved Premises have been operational and (b) people have resided in each of those premises in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: 100 Approved Premises have been operational since 2010. Figures on the number of individuals who have resided in each of the Approved Premises are not held centrally.

Approved Premises

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what advice her Department provides to people living in Approved Premises who have (a) an addiction, (b) a mental health condition and (c) other health conditions.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Offenders required to reside in Approved Premises are entitled to the same health provision as ordinary members of the public.Approved Premises staff are not medically qualified and so cannot give clinical advice. They do have a general duty of care and Approved Premises staff are trained in identifying and working with people with addictions or mental health problems. All residents are obliged to be registered with a GP, and many Approved Premises have arranged provision such as on-site GP attendance and run healthy living programmes.

Ministry of Justice: UK Withdrawal from EU

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps her Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including the Ministry of Justice, and a wide range of other interested parties.

Life Imprisonment: Prisoners' Release

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners serving a mandatory life sentence have been released early from prison in each of the last 10 years.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been handed a life sentence in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A life sentence is mandatory for murder. A life sentence must also be imposed for a second, very serious, specified violent or sexual offence – for example, manslaughter, GBH with intent, rape, and sexual assault on a child under 13 - unless the court finds that there are particular circumstances relating to the offence or the offender which would make it unjust to do so. Under a life sentence, the offender must serve the full minimum term imposed by the court before being considered for release on life licence by the Parole Board, which will only release an offender if and when it considers it safe to do so. Where a whole life order is imposed the offender is not eligible for parole. The number of life sentences imposed in each of the last ten years can be found on gov.uk.

Reoffenders

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what additional resources were made available to prisons to accommodate the increased number of people recalled to custody following the introduction of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Offender Rehabilitation Act was a key piece of legislation under the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme that extended statutory rehabilitation to offenders who served short sentences. Time spent on licence is an integral part of a custodial sentence. It is right that all offenders under probation supervision are subject to strict monitoring. In some cases offenders are recalled if their behaviour is causing concern to prevent a further offence from being committed. In order to enable prisons to deliver the requirements of the act the National Offender Management Service reviewed resources within each prison establishment Offender Management Units that received remand prisoners. Following this review additional roles were introduced across prison establishments to support the increased casework processes.

Reoffenders

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the cost of recalling 22,412 people to custody over the last 12 months.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There are several agencies involved in recalling and returning offenders to custody. The information requested is not held centrally.

Legal Aid Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to respond to the concluding observations and recommendations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the UK's sixth periodic report in relation to legal aid and access to justice; and if she will make a statement.

Sir Oliver Heald: The UN requested that the UK submits its next periodic report under the Covenant (inclusive of a response to all the recommendations from this year’s examination) by 30 June 2021; it would therefore not be appropriate for me to pre-empt this report by anticipating what we, or indeed a future UK Government in 2021, might say. We regularly monitor the operation of the legal aid scheme on an ongoing basis. The Legal Aid Agency routinely collects data on the age, sex, disability status and ethnicity of recipients of legal aid and publishes statistics on this topic annually. We have committed to carrying out a Post Implementation Review, which will consider the impact of the legal aid provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on access to justice. The UK Government is also currently undertaking a review of the introduction of fees into the Employment Tribunals and will publish its findings in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many decisions taken on claims for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment have been appealed in (i) Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock and (ii) the UK in each of the last five years; and how many of those appeals have been successful.

Sir Oliver Heald: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not hold accurate information on the volumes of appeals against decisions on claims for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). At the point of receipt and registration of the appeal the Tribunal is unable to differentiate between appeals relating to new claims for these benefits and those relating to existing claims. Information about the volumes and outcomes of appeals to the Tribunal is published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. The information provided below is a further breakdown of this data (excluding reassessment decisions).ESA appeals (excluding reassessment decisions) found in favour of the appellant  2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock17758451073271221UK 6214756042889462497925831.PIP 2 appeals (excluding reassessment decisions) found in favour of the appellantYear2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-16Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock00455176UK0021337420659 1 Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock may be represented by the venues at Ayr, Dumfries, Irvine, Kilmarnock and Stranraer. Social Security and Child Support data are attributed according to the venue nearest the appellant’s home address. HMCTS cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address, or Parliamentary constituency, but can produce data detailing numbers of cases dealt with at regional centres, or at a specific venue. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system 2 PIP was introduced as a new benefit in April 2013 to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64, and appeal volumes have been rising ever since its introduction. In addition to new claims for PIP, the Department for Work and Pensions is also transitioning individuals in receipt of DLA, over to PIP, via a reassessment programme.

Prisons: Drugs

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the level of drugs in prisons.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to combat the supply of drugs into prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Justice Secretary is clear that safety is fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system and a vital part of our reform plans. There are a number of factors, including the availability of drugs in prisons, which must be tackled in order to make our prisons safe and places of rehabilitation. We have introduced tough new laws which will see those who smuggle packages over prison walls, including new psychoactive substances, face up to two years in prison. Those who involve themselves in the distribution of drugs in our prisons should know that they could face prosecution and extra time behind bars. We have a range of security measures and searching techniques in place to detect drugs, and to prevent smuggling into prisons. I am looking closely at this important issue, and will be setting our further plans in due course.

Special Educational Needs: Tribunals

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many special educational needs and disability tribunals there have been in each year since 2010; and what the total cost to the public purse of defending the refusal to issue special educational statements was in each year since 2010.

Sir Oliver Heald: Information about the numbers of special educational needs and disability tribunals is published by the Ministry of Justice in the Tribunals and Gender Recognition Statistics Quarterly on gov.uk Information about the total cost to the public purse of defending the refusal to issue special educational statements each year since 2010 is not held centrally.

Ministry of Justice: Consultants

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will publish a list of all secondees to her Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

Dr Phillip Lee: Ministry of Justice records show that there were no secondments to the Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years.

Prison Sentences

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on the rehabilitation of offenders with Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences since 2012.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Offenders serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) continue to be detained beyond their tariff where the independent Parole Board determines that the level of risk of harm and re-offending which they pose is too great to be safely managed in the community. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) continues to prioritise IPP offenders for courses and provides other interventions to help them reduce their risk.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to consult on Government proposals to increase the Small Claims Track limit to £5,000 for low value personal injury claims.

Sir Oliver Heald: We are currently looking at the whiplash proposals and will set out our plans in due course.

Employment: Discrimination

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of whether the level of tribunal fees acts as a disincentive to women pursuing a sex discrimination claim.

Sir Oliver Heald: We will publish the outcome of our review into Employment Tribunal Fees in due course.

Immigration: Appeals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeal hearings were cancelled in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) the first eight months of 2016 at the (i) First-tier Tribunal and (ii) Upper-tier Tribunal due to documents from the Home Office not being submitted before the hearing date.

Sir Oliver Heald: The First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chambers) are administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). The number of appeal hearings adjourned at the hearing, or postponed prior to the hearing, due to documents from the Home Office not being submitted before the hearing date was:(i) First-tier Tribunal: (a) 2014 – 833 and (b) 2015 – 739(ii) Upper Tribunal: (a) 2014 – 17 and (b) 2015 – 8 The number of appeal hearings either adjourned at the hearing, or postponed prior to the hearing due to documents from the Home Office not being submitted before the hearing date in the first six months of 2016, which are the latest figures available, was:(i) First-tier Tribunal – 269(ii) Upper Tribunal – 1 Data provided are internal Management Information and not subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics.

Legal Education

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to (a) improve public awareness of the law and (b) make it easier for the law to be understood by people without legal expertise.

Sir Oliver Heald: Information is provided on the ‘crime, justice and the law’ section of the GOV.UK website to help the public be aware of their rights and the law. In addition, the legal services regulators have a duty to promote public understanding of citizens’ legal rights and duties. The regulators have established the “Legal Choices” website, which provides information to help with decisions on whether and how to seek legal advice and the available services the public might choose.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been received by HM Courts and Tribunal Service in payment of employment tribunal fees in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17 to date; and what proportion of that sum was foregone in fee remission.

Sir Oliver Heald: Information on income received by HMCTS is published on gov.uk. In 2015/16 fee remission accounted for 21%. In 2016/17 to the end of July 2016 the equivalent figure is 25%.

Prisoners: Secure Psychiatric Units

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners sent to secure mental health units for assessment or treatment subsequently returned to prison in each year since 2010.

Dr Phillip Lee: This information is published on gov.uk

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 15 August 2016 to the Chief Executive, National Offender Management Service on a constituency case.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A response to your letter of 15 August will be sent to you on or before 19 September.

Cabinet Office

Rendition and Torture: Libya

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions his Department has had with the Crown Prosecution Service on Operation Lydd.

Ben Gummer: No discussions were had between the Cabinet Office and the CPS concerning Operation Lydd. The CPS is an independent organisation, superintended by the Attorney General. Operational decisions are a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Former Ministers: Allowances

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many former Ministers have claimed expenses from the public purse after leaving office.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what value for money assessment the Government has made of the Public Duty Cost Allowance.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what budget has been allocated under the Public Duty Cost Allowance for civil servants after leaving office.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are currently claiming expenses under the Public Duty Cost Allowance after leaving office.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the Government's policy and guidance on the Public Duty Cost Allowance.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what budget has been allocated for the Public Duty Cost Allowance in each of the next five years.

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are currently claiming expenses from the public purse under the Public Duty Cost Allowance.

Ben Gummer: The Public Duties Cost Allowance is to assist former Prime Ministers with the costs of continuing to fulfil duties associated with their previous position in public life. A copy of the policy and guidance on the allowance is in the Library of the House. The costs are a reimbursement of incurred expenses for necessary office costs and secretarial costs arising from their special position in public life. The allowance is not paid to support private or parliamentary duties. Civil servants are not entitled to claim this allowance.Current recipients of the allowance are published in the Cabinet Office Annual Reports and Accounts. Previous recipients have included Lady Thatcher; the current recipients who are former Prime Ministers are Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. I also refer the Hon. Member to my answers to him of 9 September 2016 to (UIN 44045, 44048, 44049, 44053, 44054, 44055, 44056).The Public Duties Cost Allowance rate is currently set at a limit of £115,000 per annum. When originally introduced, the Government stated that it would be the equivalent in amount to the Parliamentary Office Costs Allowance. I would note that that allowance is now known as the Parliamentary Staffing Allowance, determined by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and that is currently set at the rate of £148,500 per annum.”

Civil Servants: Business Interests

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to ensure that business appointment rules are enforced for civil servants after leaving the Civil Service.

Ben Gummer: The Business Appointment Rules apply to all civil servants. The rules make clear the process for compliance. The aim of the Rules is to avoid any reasonable concerns that a civil servant might be influenced in carrying out his or her official duties by the hope or expectation of future employment with a particular firm or organisation. The Government's view is that the rules are effective in managing departures from the civil service.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Codes of Practice

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans to take to strengthen the code of conduct for special advisers.

Ben Gummer: An updated Code of Conduct for Special Advisers will be published in due course.I would add that a revised version of the Special Adviser Code of Conduct was published in October 2015, taking into account recommendations from the (then) Public Administration Select Committee at the end of the last Parliament. The Code ensures high standards of integrity and professionalism, whilst recognising the political dimension of the advice and assistance that special advisers provide to Ministers.

Employment: Disability

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the employment rate for disabled working people in each year from 2010 to 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Employment Rate
(PDF Document, 216.79 KB)

Department for Exiting the European Union: Public Expenditure

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the resources for the Department for Exiting the European Union have been drawn from the administration budget allocated in the 2015 Spending Review and Autumn Statement.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to draw additional resources needed for the Civil Service to prepare and negotiate for Britain's exit from the EU from the administration budget allocated in the 2015 Spending Review and Autumn Statement.

Chris Skidmore: Detailed work is underway to establish the budget required to fulfil the department’s set-up and responsibilities. The budget of the Department will be set out to the House and approved as part of the supplementary estimates in the new year, as is standard practice.The new Department for Exiting the European Union is appropriately resourced for its work.